By Joseph Agrace Wiyorbie
Wa, (UW/R), Sept. 10, GNA – A trainer of trainer’s workshop for 100 teachers has commenced in Wa, to equip them with relevant skills in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to enable them train girls under the government’s Girls-in-ICT programme.
The training will equip them with skills in Coding, Basic Computer Operations, Cybersecurity, creative digital tools amongst others during the week-long training.
The initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation, with support from the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence (KACE), and MTN.
The training, with participants drawn from all eleven districts in the Upper Region, seeks to equip young girls with practical digital skills and introduce them to the vast opportunities within the ICT sector.
The initiative is a key part of Ghana’s broader digital transformation agenda, which emphasises on equitable access to digital tools and education for all citizens.
Dr Samuel Nartey George, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation in a speech read on his behalf during the opening of the training workshop, emphasised the government’s commitment to bridging the gender digital divide through the provision of ICT skills to young girls.
He said empowering girls today with ICT skills would transform communities and drive national development.
Participants were advised to pay close attention to the lessons to fully understand the course, to enable them to effectively deliver to the Girls-in-ICT programme.
He explained that said the trained teachers were expected to impart the skills learnt to over 1,000 girls from various communities in the region, who would then participate in district and regional level ICT competitions, with the best 100 girls to emerge winners receiving awards.
He described the district and regional level ICT competitions an annual event, which sought to empower basic schoolgirls and youth to pursue careers in the ICT industry and become torchbearers in the sector.
It was adopted in the year 2012 to give equal opportunities to young girls all over the country to gain exposure to existing opportunities in ICT, as well as to empower girls and young women to explore and pursue ICT career.
This year’s programme, which was on the theme: “Girls-in-ICT for inclusive Digital Transformation,” would also include capacity building sessions for teachers to strengthen digital literacy instruction in classrooms, he said.
Mr Nartey said the Girls-in-ICT initiative, was one of the Ministry’s flagship programmes, which seeks to equip young girls with practical digital skills and introduce them to the vast opportunities within the sector.
He emphasised that the initiative also aimed to address gender disparity in Science, Technology, Engineerinng and Mathematics (STEM) fields and to encourage greater female participation in Ghana’s digital economy saying, “Empowering girls today with ICT skills will transform communities and drive national development”.
Mr Nartey charged the teachers that a lot was expected of them and urged them to continue the work of assisting and encouraging the girls to pursue ICT careers in life.
He said the initiative aims to provide girls with access to technical training, mentorship, and exposure to ICT career opportunities of which this year’s targets was to train 3,000 girls in the Volta, Upper West, and Savannah regions, with 1,000 beneficiaries in the Upper West Region.
Mr Charles Lwanga Puosuing, the Upper West Regional Minister urged teachers to take advantage of the Training of Trainers workshop under the National Girls-in-ICT Initiative, to empower young girls in the region with digital skills.
He urged them to effectively play their roles to ensure the success of the programme, expressing the need for all stakeholders to make commitments to put into good use all the various efforts by the government and development partners in ICT to improve the lives of girls.
The Minister expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations for selecting the region for the capacity-building exercise.
He said the training was crucial for preparing teachers to become torchbearers of digital empowerment for thousands of young girls in the region, emphasising that with ICT currently being the backbone of every economy and society, no nation could thrive if half of its population were left behind in digital transformation.
The Minister urged teachers to approach the training with commitment and purpose, and to use the skills acquired to create a learning environment where every girl could dream boldly, explore confidently, and succeed in the digital age.
Mr Razak Abdul Korah, the Upper West Regional Director of Education expressed delight in the region hosting programme, saying it would enhance the capacity building of girls to participate in the ICT space.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali / Christabel Addo