Huawei, Ministry of Communications begin cyber security training Phase II

Huawei Technologies Ghana, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD) and the Ministry of Education, has commenced the second phase (Phase 2) of its Digital Technologies training in Ghana.

The digital technologies training is aimed at equipping Senior High School girls with 21st-century Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills.

It will focus on topics like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Privacy protection and Cyber Security as a means of increasing student awareness of internet safety and introducing them to the basic AI concepts.

Madam Ama Pomaa Boateng, the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, in a statement, officially opened the training at St. Mary’s Vocational Institute and Tamale Girls Senior High school in the Northern region of Ghana.

This year’s training, which started in Tamale, is expected to benefit 100,000 girls, including students in the Bono East, Bono, Ahafo, Volta and Oti regions.

The Deputy Minister indicated that the initiative was part of the Ministry’s Digital Inclusion agenda aimed at exposing more youth, especially females, to the latest trends in ICT while motivating them to develop an interest in STEM.

She said that with technology at the centre of development, the significance of ICT education could not be underestimated hence the need to involve more students in digital skills training to enhance their skills capacity.

She lauded Huawei Ghana for partnering with the Ministry to train more girls at second-cycle institutions.

The Deputy Minister encouraged the girls to take the training seriously and advised them on the essence of having a positive presence on the internet.

Mrs. Ursula Owusu Ekuful, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, at a press briefing on Sunday, July 31, 2022, commended Huawei for continuously partnering with the Ministry to engage more women in ICT.

She also lauded the Company for its rural telephony project aimed at expanding network connectivity to the underserved and unserved communities in Ghana.

Mrs. Jenny Zhou, the Director of Government and Public Affairs at Huawei, said the programme, since its inception, had encouraged beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity and embrace STEM with a positive attitude.

She said Huawei was committed to empowering more women through such capacity-building initiatives to enhance their potential and prepare them for the digital world.

Some schools yet to benefit from the training include Our Lady of Mount Camel Senior High School, St Ann's Girls Senior High, Our Lady of Providence Senior High and Notre Dame Girls Senior High.

Others are Ola Girls Senior High, Serwaa Kese Girls Senior High, E.P.C Mawuko Girls Senior High, St Catherine Girls Senior High and Kyabobo Girls school among others.

Huawei, through the digital technologies training and capacity-building programmes, seeks to contribute its quota towards the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, as well as the development of Ghana’s ICT sector.

Last year, Huawei Ghana in partnership with the Ministry, the Rebecca Foundation, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and Education and the Kofi Annan ICT Center of Excellence trained over 50,000 girls and traders in Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence and Financial Technology.