Minister of Communications and Digitalization Ursula Owusu Ekuful has reiterated the need to narrow the gender digital gap since fewer girls have skills in computers.
According to her, the world is moving so fast in the digital space that girls stand the chance of being left out if nothing is done to train them in ICT.
Speaking to the media during her visit to the ongoing training centres of some 1,000 selected girls from all 16 districts in the Northern Region under the Girls-In-ICT programme, the sector minister said the ministry is poised to demystify ICT education for young girls to reduce the current digital divide.
“After this programme, the teachers will go back and it will be part of the ICT training that they teach both the boys and girls to build their capacity so that they can sustain this programme beyond just the Girls in ICT programme,” she said.
Madam Owusu Ekuful, however, noted that the gap between boys and girls in ICT is huge and for that matter the Girls in ICT programme will narrow that gap and also encourage the girls.
The sector minister urged the girls to stay focused and take advantage of the training to better their lives no matter their status in the society.
The Northern Region Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu, expressed excitement over the initiative by the minister and government.
He noted the importance of ICT technology to the society, adding that this initiative came at the right time considering the fact that the world is fast moving towards digitalization.
He, however, expressed worries about the sustainability of the projects and uses the medium to call on the sector minister to extend the project to other schools in the area.
He also appealed to the minister to assist the Region with more ICT infrastructure to enhance the effectiveness of digitization and also to help facilitate and train more girls.
About 1,000 girls from all the 16 districts in the Northern Region have received training in Information, Communication and Technology.
The two weeks of intensive training organised by the Ministry, beginning on July 17 this year, equipped the girls with basic computing, E-safety, coding, web design and many more.
The aim is to expose them to the world of digitalization and future opportunities.
The two-day tour by the Minister was to grant her an opportunity to familiarise with the developments and programmes being undertaken by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), under the Ministry of Communications.
The programme is expected to award all 1,000 girls with certificates of participation.
However, the best girls in each district get an ICT lab set up in the schools they attend.
The best 100 girls will be given laptops, while the best three girls will be awarded cash prizes and plaques.
By Nadra Mohammed