Ursula Owusu Ekuful
The Ministry of Communications has organised a day’s Open Day for Girls in Information Communications Technology (ICT).
The event was held at the Kofi Annan ICT Centre in Accra on Monday, August 19, 2019.
It brought together female students from various schools in the Greater Accra Region.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said though the Open Day initiative has been celebrated annually in Ghana since 2012 as part of the ITU activities to narrow the gender digital divide, its been
enhanced since 2018.
She stated that Government and the Ministry wanted to encourage and empower girls and young women to
consider studies and careers in the growing field of ICTs, enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the ICT sector.
She added that the Open Day as provided an opportunity for young ladies in Ghana to touch and feel ICTs, demystifying it and encouraging them to consider a future in technology
According to her, Information and Communication Technologies were growing at a fast pace in the ever-changing world and are indispensable for growth and productivity in the digital economy.
Unfortunately, she noted, there was a huge skills shortfall in the ICT sector and
measures have to be put in place as a matter of urgency to ensure the promotion and adoption of ICT careers among our youth.
She added that there was also a yawning gap between the digital skills needed by industry and the number of job seekers with the required technical know how.
“The opportunities available for highly qualified women in technical fields are enormous and rewarding,” she said, adding that “furthermore, Ghana cannot achieve Sustainable Development Goals 1, 5 and 10 aimed at reducing poverty, achieving gender equality and reducing inequalities if there is no conscious and deliberate
approach to encourage more girls and women to take up leadership roles in the ICT industry.”
Expanding our horizons and changing our attitudes will ensure that the digital gender divide is bridged quickly, she stated.
Ghana joined the ITU Girls-In-ICT initiative to implement activities to bridge the digital gender divide, and encouraged the training and education of girls to expand the opportunities available to the girl child and women in this sector.
The Open Day Programme has been celebrated in the Greater Accra, Volta,
Eastern, Northern, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions.
Cumulatively, over 4,000 girls from selected basic schools have participated in this initiative in Ghana.
BY Melvin Tarlue
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