URSULA: Girls-In-ICT Must Be Sustained

The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has called for the sustenance of the Girls-In-ICT Initiative – a Ghana government program which encourages and empowers girls and young women to pursue Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education and jobs.

“The impact it (Girls-In-ICT Initiative) has had on the girls’ lives is significant. Some of the early beneficiaries are now in universities, pursuing geodetic engineering and other advanced fields, thanks to the exposure they received from this program. We need to find a way to sustain it”, Ursula noted to journalists when she toured the Girls-In-ICT training centers in the Greater Accra Region to interact with the beneficiaries.

Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful expressed her excitement about the impact of the training so far, saying, “I am glad that so many of you already know about some of the opportunities in ICT”.

Encouraging the girls, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously so they can develop their own gaming programs, create codes, and more.

Briefing the media, the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation stated that there will be a mentorship session where women currently working in the ICT field share their personal and professional experiences with the girls to encourage and guide them in their future careers and endeavors.

She also added that the climax event of the Girls-In-ICT program in the Greater Accra Region will involve the presentation of awards for the top 100 performing girls, remarks by coaches and mentors, and the presentation of certificates to all participants. As part of the motivation package, prizes such as laptops, modems, and more will be awarded to the girls who excel in the competition, with the top three girls receiving cash prizes. Additionally, ICT labs will be set up in the schools of the girls who performed very well in the competition.

Over one thousand (1,000) girls from thirty-one (31) districts in the Greater

Accra Region were selected to participate in the training program, with the assistance of 100 trained teachers.

Meanwhile, two thousand (2,000) girls from the Ashanti and Volta Regions will also benefit from the program this year.

Training areas include basic ICT skills, coding, website design, social media and internet safety, game development, and animation development.

The ongoing two-day tour, taking place on Tuesday, July 2nd and Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024, focuses on encouraging young girls to pursue careers in ICT and develop an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

It covers modules such as Introduction to Computer, Programming, Cyber Security, Animation Development, Game Development, Coding, Scratch, and Website Design.

The training centers visited included: Ola R/C Basic School, Kotobabi 3&2 Basic School, and St. Joseph Anglican Basic School. The remaining training centers to be toured on Wednesday, July 3rd, are Dansoman CIC Regional Office, Dansoman 6 School, Wesley Grammar School, Weija Model Basic School, and New Gbawe MA School.

In total, the Ministry will train 3,000 girls and 300 teachers across three regions.

The districts in the Greater Accra Region include Ada East, Ada West, La Nkwantang, Ayawaso West, Krowor, Ledzokuku, Tema Metro, Tema West, Ashiaman, Shai Osudoku, Adentan, Prampram, KponeKatamanso, La Dadekotopon, Ayawaso East, KorleyKlottey, Ablekumah West, Ablekumah North, Ablekumah Central, Okaikwei North, WeijaGbawe, Ga West, Ga East, Ga Central, Ga North, Ga South, Accra Metropolitan, Avawaso East, Ayawaso North, and Ayawaso Central.

The Girls-In-ICT program was introduced in 2012 by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider studies and careers in the growing field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The global theme for this year’s celebration is “Leadership.”