Bridging digital divide: 200 Girls receive ICT training

To bridge the digital divide and empower young girls with essential technological skills, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has trained 200 students and 50 teachers in the Ablekuma West Municipality in Accra in Information Communication Technology (ICT).

The female students drawn from Dansoman Cluster ‘A’ schools were introduced to the fundamentals of coding, including basic coding concepts, computer operations, internet safety, 3D printing and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Dubbed: “Breaking Barriers: Coding, Leadership and Inclusion for All”, it was to foster interest in technology among female students and equip them with foundational skills in coding, computer science and the science, technology, engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

The event, organised in collaboration with the Institute of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional Ghana (IIPGH), formed part of its 2024 edition of the Coding Caravan organised for young pupils across the country.

Partnerships

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, called on corporate organisations to partner with the government to ensure the sustainability of the Girls in ICT programme, thereby emphasising the programme's potential to transform lives and contribute to national development.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, who is also the Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, said there were plans for the government to set up the Girls in ICT Trust as a public-private collaborative approach to provide sustainable funding for digital education initiatives.

"We need women in ICT to join us in mentoring these young girls. By sharing your stories, you can help demystify ICT and inspire the next generation of female leaders in the digital world,” she added.

Shift ICT learning

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, said the coding caravan was designed to bring digital education directly to young girls, especially those in upper primary and junior high school.

He said the initiative sought to shift ICT learning from theoretical instructions to practical applications to equip young learners with the skills to solve real-world challenges.

"The plan is to use this as a proof of concept to show the Ghana Education Service (GES) that we can conduct practical ICT examinations. We want to move ICT education from theoretical learning to more practical experiences. Our goal is to have kids solve real problems using technology,” he said.

Dr Ashigbey said the programme was also to create awareness about the practical applications of ICT, providing training not only for students but also for teachers. “This is to ensure the sustainability of the programme, as educators can continue to build their capacity and teach future students.

“We want to make sure that ICT teaching and examinations become more practical,” he explained.

The Director of Operations at IIPGH, Kafui Amanfu, said the partners were committed to providing digital literacy training to children in underserved communities, adding that the programme expanded from a small pilot in Accra to other regions.

Appreciation

The Ablekuma West Director of Education, Christian Julius Aforlah, thanked the group for implementing the new coding programme for both teachers and students at the school.

He said with students and teachers alike becoming more adept in coding, the school could participate in regional and national tech competitions to further integrate the students into the global tech community.