New Juaben Paramount Chief extols Ursula for Girls-in-ICT strides

The Paramount Chief of New Juaben, Nana Kwaku Boateng III has applauded the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful for the progress she has made over the years concerning her aim to see young girls and women take up the Information and Communication Technology education to the higher stage.

Nana Kwaku Boateng III made it known to the Ablekuma West lawmaker that, the Girls-In-ICT initiative has been a good step for his community members especially young women who would have been at risk in society.

This comes after the Minister paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief and his traditional leaders to formally inform them about the 2023 Eastern Region Girls in ICT celebration in the New Juaben community.

“The girl child development is a priority to me and I will gladly support any initiative that puts girls first” the Paramount Chief noted.

The Minister was accompanied by some members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications, the Eastern Regional Minister Seth Kwame Acheampong, Directors and officers from her Ministry and its agencies.

Mentorship Day Held in Koforidua

The Ministry as part of commemorative activities of the National Girls-In-ICT programme, held a mentorship session for the 1000 beneficiaries who participated in the programme in the Eastern Region.

The mentorship session aim at grooming the girls on life skills, career development and to also encourage them to consider the opportunities in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The mentors were all career women drawn from the ICT industry, Telecommunications, Cyber Security Authority, Manners on Point and some past beneficiaries of the Girls-In-ICT programme.

The girls were also educated on menstrual hygiene management.

Other topics were on Emotional intelligence, Public Speaking, Time Management, Reproductive Health, essence of honesty, Self-awareness and empathy.

The sector minister encouraged the girls to believe in themselves and work hard to achieve their dreams.

“Our mentors told us about their journeys and despite the odds, they succeeded so girls you are also achievers and you can do it because you were the chosen ones from your various districts so you are special and you can be the light for your communities” she said.

She added, “I have sold charcoal before. Were it not for education, I would be selling charcoal because I have sold charcoal before. Today, by God’s grace and because I went to school, I’m a lawyer and a communications minister. I will encourage everyone to take advantage of the policies that we’re putting in place in education to educate our people”.

She was of the view that if girls take up careers in ICT, it will serve as a liberation for future success.

The chairperson of the event, Okyehemaa, Nana Adutwumwaa Dokua, advised the students to take their education seriously and endeavor to pursue ICT in their next education career.

She encouraged the students to be confident and courageous with a positive attitude and self-esteem with the aim to choose their career path to develop their skills in the ICT space.

Interacting with the beneficiaries of the Girls in ICT programme, she underscored the need for the female students to manage their time and plan their days to achieve their goals and future aspirations.

The Girls in ICT programme is aimed at selecting female students from basic schools to train and mentor them in the Information and Communication Technology ICT skills and to bridge the gaps between the males and females in the study of ICT.

Rural Telephony Commissioning

In another development, Madam Ursula commissioned completed Community Information Centres (CICs), Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project (GRT & DIP) in some communities in the Eastern Region.

It was in collaboration between the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MOCD) with the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC).

The facilities formed part of the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project of GIFEC which seeks to connect deprived communities to telecommunication services.

Speaking at the event, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, stated that, the government through the agency is committed to providing basic telephone voice and data connectivity to undeserved communities, hence, the provision of 90 cell sites under the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project in the Eastern Region in line with its digitalisation agenda to create a strong digital country.

She also mentioned that the extension of the telecommunication networks to the various communities would go a long way to open up the areas.

Mrs. Owusu Ekuful also commissioned two ICT centres at Akyem Awisa in the Birim South municipality and Asuom in the Kwaebibrem district to help pupils in the communities with basic computer skills.

The communities included, Asene Manso Akroso and Kwaebibirem Mofram and Twumwusu municipalities in the Eastern Region.

The centers are to be managed by a local body known as the Sustainability Management Committee on behalf of GIFEC.