The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, yesterday launched the Ghana Girls in ICT Trust in Accra.
This not-for-profit organisation aims to ensure sustainable funding for the female students’ empowerment initiative, which has been championed for 12 years and previously operated based on donor support from benevolent organizations across the country.
Addressing the audience at the climax of this year’s Greater Accra cohort of the initiative, the Minister said the initiative had developed training and support systems in all 16 regions to train 3,000 beneficiaries annually from three regions.
Expansion
She revealed that the Trust aims to expand this initiative to empower more than 9,000 young women every year.
“The Trust was born out of the desire of the Ministry to offer more girls more in-depth training, with age-appropriate content, and a developmental curriculum. We thought of the value that global interaction and best practice competitive content would add to their training. We also thought of the difference a long-term relationship with a role model working in ICT or STEM could make,” she noted.
She pointed out that the programme was designed to deliver world-class best practice training and mentoring to girls aged between 18 and 22, where they live and attend school.
She indicated that the Trust would develop face-to-face and online training programmes offered to young women out of Community ICT labs serving their communities.
Benefit
The Trust, she explained, would be a permanent resource, introducing girls to ICT in primary school, offering certifiable training opportunities in secondary school, and providing support and guidance to secure career opportunities in STEM at tertiary level.
He noted that this would create a network of woman-friendly labs staffed by trained and fully resourced experts offering ICT access, subsidized or free certified training opportunities, and a team of managerial trainers.
“We will focus on promoting an enabling environment, working with corporate representatives, community leaders, gatekeepers, civil society, and educational resources to modify narratives, opportunities, and frameworks to be more supportive of females in STEM,” she stated.
The Minister added that the programme anticipates an annual impact of exposing 5,000 primary level girls aged between eight and 11 years to ICT opportunities and resources available to them via the internet.
The initiative will also ensure that approximately 3,000 senior high school girls aged between 13 and 18 years are certified in coding, cybersecurity, exposed to age-appropriate ICT-related skills, and engaged with role models in ICT and STEM annually.
Additionally, some 1,000 tertiary level girls aged 18 and above will be paired with mentors, placed in STEM internships, short-term or full-time positions, and supported in applying for graduate-level programs or positions in STEM every year through a virtual mentoring platform that brings together GIICT graduates and participants with supportive role models.
“A cohort of 32 Master trainers will tour the country annually to recruit, train, and support staff trainers, while 150 staff trainers will be trained annually to provide training to girls in schools. Fifty ICT hubs will be created or upgraded annually to offer female-friendly services, support, and guidance,” she stated.
Partnership
The Minister urged other stakeholders to join partners like USA for Africa, GCB Bank, Telecel Foundation, and UNDP, who were present at the launch, in empowering girls to pursue tech careers, address gender inequality, fuel Ghana’s digital transformation, and promote inclusivity.
She assured that the Trust would provide complete transparency and accountability, regularly reporting and auditing, and highly valuing input from all stakeholders. She encouraged interested parties to reach out to the Trust team to schedule a meeting or request additional information.
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