Minister for Communication, Ursula Owusu
Thousand girls from selected basic schools in Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region have participated in the Mentorship program organised by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation as part of its flagship program, Girls-in-ICT under the theme: Connected Girls, Creating Brighter Futures.
The Girls-in-ICT is an initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), aimed at encouraging Girls to opt for careers within the Information and Communication Technology ICT (Sector).
The Mentorship Program which features women in the ICT Industry brought together mentors from various disciplines. They are; Dr Mercy Badu ,Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, KNUST; Dr Priscilla Kolibea Mantey, Neuropharmacologist, Reseacher, Senior Lecturer KNUST; Sophia Tandoh, Advisor, Regulatory Affairs,MTN-Ghana; Angela Adu Ampofo, Regulatory and Government Affairs, MTN Ghana.
The rest are Elizabeth Yaw Amuzu, Student, University of Cape Coast; Regina Farco, Instructional Technology, ICT Center Coordinator/CIC Manager.
Dr. Marion Okoh-Owusu, Regional Director, Ghana Health Service in the Western North Region who chaired the Mentorship program advised the girls to take their aspirations seriously, adding, that they can achieve whatever they put their minds to.
She stressed the need for the girls to make judicious use of their time and refrain from procrastination.
The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said girls continue to be under represented in Science, Technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She stressed the need to improve basic digital skills in internet access to help find and keep jobs to close the growing digital divide.
Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the Girls-in-ICT project has been put together to build awareness about the gender digital divide, support technology education and skills training, encourage more girls and young women to actively pursue careers in STEM.
Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful explained that the Mentorship Program is specially organised to break the stereotype related to gender and tech and encourage authorities to support girls to pursue education in Technology. “For me, the Mentorship session is the best because it gives the girls first hand information”.
She noted,” It is not only boys who can work with technology and excel, you can too” she stressed.
Minister stressed the need to build ICT Centers to help them practice what they have learnt. She said the first 100 girls will all have laptops.
The Mentors took turns to share experience in thier jobs with the girls and urged them to take their studies seriously and remain focused.
Present at the ceremony were the Chief Director, Mrs, Magdalene Appenteng; Director, Policy Planning Budget, Monitoring and Evaluation (PPBME), Mrs Veronica Sackey; Director, Reserch, Statistics and Information Management (RSIM), Mr Alfred Nortey; Regional Director of Education, Mr Stephen Kwaku Owusu.
The girls were presented with grooming packages at the end of the Mentorship programme.