Training has started for one thousand (1000) selected girls from the thirty-three (33) districts in the Eastern Region under the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation’s Girls-In-ICT program.
This number is besides the two thousand (2000) girls who have already benefited from the program in 2023 in the Northern and Savannah regions.
A statement said that the training areas include basic ICT skills, coding, website design, communication design, social media and internet safety, game development, and animation development.
The districts include Kwahu Afram Plains North, Kwahu Afram Plains South, Kwahu South, Kwahu East, Kwahu West, Atiwa East, Atiwa West, Fanteakwa South, Fanteakwa North, Abuakwa South, Abuakwa North, Birim Central, Kwaebibirm, West Akim and Achiase.
The rest are Akyemansa, Asene Manso Akroso, Ayensuoano, Birim North, Birim South, Demkyembour, Upper West Akim, New Juaben South, New Juaben North, Akwapem North, Lower Manya Krobo, Upper Manya Krobo, Nsawam Adoagyiri, Suhum; Yilo Krobo, Akwapem South, Asuogyaman and Okere.
The Girls-In-ICT program was introduced in 2012 by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) with the aim of creating 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).
Ghana has been celebrating this event in different regions each year since its introduction in 2012 and trained 12, 981 girls and women.
As part of strategies to ensure that Ghana achieves the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 and supported by Ghana’s ICT4AD Policy on bridging the gender digital divide, the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, through its agencies – GIFEC, NCA and the Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence (KACE), has expanded the reach of the GIICT event.
It is worth noting, that over 60 percent of the girls trained had no knowledge or experience in the use of computers. This therefore brings to the fore, the minister’s quest to expand the program to reach more girls with adequate funding and resources from benevolent individuals and Organisations.
The program has the following components:
● Training of 100 selected Teachers from across the selected Region
● Training of 1,000 Girls from across all the districts within the selected Region
● A Mentorship session whereby 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 endeavours.
● A Climax Event that involves the following: Presentation of awards for best-100 performing Girls, Remarks by coaches and mentors, A Speech by the Honourable Minister and Presentation of certificates to all girls.
As part of the motivation package, prizes such as laptops, modems etc, are awarded to the girls who excel in the competition while the top three girls receive cash prizes. In addition, ICT labs are set up in the schools of the girls who performed very well in the competition.
● An Open Day experience where the best 100 girls from the selected Region where the Programme had been held, are brought to Accra for a week to tour the Offices of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Companies in the ICTs industry, selected MoCD Agencies and interact especially with women in the industry.
The ministry has also introduced the Girls-In- ICT at the tertiary level to whip up interest to pursue careers in ICT. This is in partnership with Huawei Technologies, Ghana, S.A. Limited.
In September 2021, a selection of 50 (Fifty) students (ladies) from the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) were taken through a Ten (10) day training programme in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data and Cyber Security.
These students participated in a residential training programme from 19th-28th September 2021. The students were divided into groups and made to develop business-oriented ideas and solutions to modern problems.
The groups with the most outstanding critical national issues were rewarded with deserving prizes.
The ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Huawei Technologies- Ghana, also educated 60,000 female Senior High Schools in the Ashanti, Central and Eastern Regions on cyber security as part of the Girls-in-ICT Program in October 2021.
The theme for this year is: “Girls in ICT - Digital Skills for Life”.
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The girls have been selected from all the 33 districts of the Eastern Region