Top 3 finalists of 2024 National Girls in ICT honoured
THE Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, says empowering girls in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is crucial to drive digital transformation and achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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She emphasised the importance of the Girls in ICT initiative, stressing how it had positively impacted the lives of many young women by fostering their interest and skills in the field.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful was addressing a ceremony that honoured the top three finalists of the 2024 National Girls in ICT Day in Accra last Wednesday.
The overall winner, Paulina Abena Yayra Quao, a junior high school (JHS) 2 student of St Syllabus R/C Basic School in the Greater Accra Region, who obtained 100 points, received a laptop, GH¢3,000 cash prize, a memento, a bag and a certificate.
Delma Rawiyyah Saeed, a JHS 2 student of Accra College of Education Demonstration School, placed second with 98 points, and received a laptop, a cash prize of GH¢2,500, a memento and a certificate.
Third place prize winner, Nicole Addy, a JHS 2 student of the Services Basic School at Kpone Katamanso, who also finished with 98 points, took home a laptop, a GH¢2,000 cash prize, a memento and a certificate.
The other 97 finalists received a certificate, a laptop and a bag each.
The 2024 edition of the competition saw the launch of the Ghana Girls in ICT Trust.
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The competition is aimed at bridging the gender gap in ICT in the country.
Partnership
The Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, MTN, Adwoa Wiafe, said since the inception of the partnership in 2021, MTN was committed to fostering digital inclusion and leadership among young girls across the country.
“Every girl we train is a step towards meeting our objectives of bridging the digital divide. Over the years, we have trained about 14,000 girls, 500 teachers and today we are training another 1,000. We are committed to these numbers and believe we will achieve our goals,” she said.
The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, in a speech read on his behalf, said ICT played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic in maintaining connectivity and supporting essential services and businesses.
He, however, indicated that a significant number of people were still without Internet access, adding that nearly half of the global population remained offline, with women and girls in developing countries most affected.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, said gender should not be a barrier to achieving one's views and aspirations, adding that,”providing these tools is not just a choice but a responsibility. Our goal is to ensure that our youth are not left behind in this digital age”.
Vision
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said the initiative aligned with her vision as vice-chancellor to train young people who were critical thinkers, technologically adept, humane, culturally sensitive and ready to provide leadership for the country and the world.
“This programme will not only focus on the technical skills, but also develop your soft skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration abilities, which are critical for the attainment of excellence,” she said.