Sampson Manu
Obuasi (Ash), Oct. 14, GNA – Mr Sarah Agyen-Mensah, Chairperson of Women in Engineering, Obuasi Chapter, has stressed the need to encourage and empower more women to take up courses and venture into the various fields of engineering.
She said the involvement of women in engineering had become critical in national development and there was the need to continue to encourage young women to show keen interest in engineering.
She was speaking at a mentorship forum organized for girls at the Christ the King Senior High School at Obuasi.
It was organized by Women in Engineering in partnership with the AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine.
The objective was to empower female students to develop more interest in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related subjects, and thereby chose engineering programmes as a course of study at the university level.
It was also to empower women engineers to appreciate their chosen field and know the critical nature of their contributions towards engineering.
Ing. Agyen-Mensah noted that, the number of Ghanaian women in the engineering profession was low compared to that of men despite efforts by successive governments to bridge the gap.
She said the emphasis being placed on STEM education in senior high schools was the right way to encourage and attract more women to the field of engineering.
She pointed out that, gone were the days when STEM courses were the preserve of men and said recent events had demonstrated that a lot of females were making strides in the engineering fields with a lot of them assuming high profile roles in the sector.
Ing Eric Broni, the Chairperson of the Obuasi Chapter of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, explained the relevance of having more female engineers in the country.
He said statistically, only 10-20% of females were in the engineering sector reinforcing the need to empower women to become engineers.
He said the Obuasi Chapter of Ghana Institute of Engineers was leaving no stone unturned in their quest to nurture more women through fora and other educational activities to encourage more females to join in the sector.
Ms Priscilla Edmondson, the first female winding engineer at AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, emphasized the need to encourage more women to join the field.
She reaffirmed the contributions of family and society in making that a reality.
“Society should not make it difficult for women to become engineers.
We should not stereotype people who would want to join the sector.
We should also encourage them to understand that Engineering is not the preserve of only men”, she stated.
GNA