Accra, Oct. 31, GNA – Madam Ama Pomaa Boateng, the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, says it is important to inspire young people to embrace ICT education.
She said that was the only way they could thrive in the 21st century and create more employment through direct jobs.
Madam Boateng said this at the launch of the all-Girls edition of the Huawei “Seeds for the Future 2022” programme via Zoom in Accra.
This year’s programme seeks to promote the participation of more women and girls in ICT and empower them to take up careers in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The eight-day Seeds for the Future journey aimed at exposing participates to cutting-edge technologies, the Chinese culture and other industry trends.
She said as the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) beaconed, all hands were needed on deck to fully realise the potential of digitalisation and its resultant effect on the local economy.
“It is in line with this that the Ministry of Communications under its Girls-In-ICT initiative partnered with Huawei to train and empower more girls in digital technologies,” the Deputy Minister said.
She said in 2021, the programme benefitted 60 female tertiary students, noting that, this year’s training had also been dedicated to females with interest in STEM.
Madam Boateng said through the fruitful partnership with Huawei the Ministry had successfully trained over 12,000 Senior High School girls in Privacy Protection and Cyber Security this year.
She urged the girls to enjoy the programme, develop leadership skills, become independent thinkers and build good networks.
Mr. Kweku Essuman Quansah, Deputy Managing Director of Huawei Ghana, said Huawei as a responsible corporate entity, had at its forefront, the development of more local skilled ICT talent, as a means of giving back to the society in which it operated and contributing its quota towards the development of Ghana.
He said last year, as part of their Women in Tech initiative, Huawei in partnership with the Ministries of Communications and Digitalization and Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MoFARI) and the Rebecca Foundation trained over 50,000 young girls in digital technologies.
This year, about 25,000 young girls have also benefitted from this training bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 75,000.
He said that was in line with the commitment Huawei made to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to train 100,000 Ghanaians by 2024.
He said as part of this year’s programme, 50 top female tertiary students would embark on an intensive eight-day virtual training from October 31 to November 7, 2022, after which the whole event would be climaxed with a mentorship and awards ceremony scheduled for November 9, 2022.
This year’s programme will introduce students to advanced ICT courses in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, 5G, Cloud Computing, Digital Power, Digital Trade, Smart City and Internet of Things, whiles building their leadership capabilities in courses like Strategic Leadership and Cross-Cultural Management.
Beneficiaries will also get the opportunity to experience technology and the rich Chinese culture, including Chinese Martial Arts, Kunqu Opera, Secrets of the Forbidden City and other insights about Traditional and Modern China.
He said participants would also be grouped to embark on a “Tech4Good” project to develop solutions for societal and environmental problems after, which the best group would be awarded.
Mr Quansah urged all beneficiaries to take the training seriously, learn from the best in the industry, and ensure that the resources invested in them did not go to waste.
GNA