Women in Technology (WIT), an initiative under Ghana’s telecommunications giant MTN has mentored 80 young girls in the field of technical skills.
The mentoring exercise, Girls-in-ICT, (GIICT), is part of efforts to introduce the girls to various opportunities in ICT through a number of mentorship programs and to attach them to institutions where they will enjoy a week-long interaction with female achievers in the industry.
The girls drawn from the Central, Oti, Western North, and North East Regions were given unique opportunities to be mentored by some WIT members who already ply their trade in MTN Ghana’s ICT and technology department.
Speaking to the press, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ama Pomaa Boateng stated the ministry and its partners in the Girls-in-ICT initiative have so far equipped 980 girls in the Central Region as of 2019.
She further indicated that 584 girls were trained in the Oti Region in 2020 and 1000 girls in the Western North and North East Regions.
Mrs. Boateng said the training will go a long way to inspire the girls to believe that they can take up lucrative professions in the male-dominated field.
She stressed that the girls were not able to come to Accra for the weeklong Open Day event due to the Covid 19 which hit Ghana and the world at large after their initial training in four areas.
According to her, several young girls are faced with numerous challenges in the digital world because most of them do not know of some of the safety issues and how to report them.
She said, with the training, the girls will be equipped with these skills as they are being trained on how to avoid cyberbullying, materials, and content that is not consumable.
Mrs. Boateng however advised the girls to use the internet properly in order not to fall into the hands of the predators.
Meanwhile, Senior Manager for Sustainability and Social Impact with MTN Ghana Foundation, Robert Kuzoe noted that the ultimate aim is to empower young girls to be aware of the numerous opportunities in ICT they could take advantage of.
He said that basic ICT skills are no longer considered a luxury.
“It is in this regard, we partnering with other relevant bodies to unveil opportunities in the ICT sector through mentorship workshops and open day programs to prepare them for ICT-related professions in the future,” he explained.
