Over 9,000 young women to benefit from govt’s ‘Girls in ICT Trust’ annually – Ursula Owusu-Ekuful

The government’s ‘ Girls in ICT initiative (GIICT) has just received a boost with the establishment of a Trust.

The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful on Wednesday launched the Ghana Girls in ICT Trust, a not-for-profit organization, built on 12 years of lessons learned and experiences in regional activation of ITU’s GIICT day initiative.

Developing training and support systems in all 16 regions, the Trust will deliver a pipeline of more than 9000 young women every year.

According to the sector  Minister, the Trust is created out of the desire of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to offer more girls a more in-depth training, with age appropriate content, and a developmental curriculum.

Accompanying the Minister was a host of Professors from the University of Ghana, Chiefs and representatives from the Africa- America Disaporan community.

The event proceeded a two-day mentorship programme aimed at inspiring elementary school girls to pursue careers in technology. This regional installment, part of a broader national effort, was held at the Cedi Conference Centre at the University of Ghana, under the theme “Leadership,” and  brought together over a thousand young participants eager to learn about opportunities in the ICT sector.

Speaking at the Climax ceremony of the Greater Accra Region edition of the Girls in ICT Initiative, the Minister noted, ‘We thought of the value that global interaction and best practice competitive content would add to their training. We also thought of the difference a long term relationship with a role model working in ICT or STEM could make’.

Designed to take world class best practice training and mentoring to girls between 18 and 22 where they live and go to school the Trust will develop face to face and online training programming offered to young women out of Community ICT labs serving their communities.

Specifically, the Trust will be a permanent resource; introducing girls to ICT in primary school, offering certifiable learning/training opportunities in secondary, and providing support and guidance to secure career opportunities in stem at the tertiary level . It will create a network of girl/woman friendly labs staffed by trained and fully resourced experts offering ICT access, subsidized or free certified training opportunities, and a team of manager trainers”. She stressed.

To achieve this goal,  the Ministry of Communication will focus on promoting an enabling environment, working with corporate representatives, community leaders and gate keepers, civil society to modify the narratives, opportunities, and frameworks to be more supportive of females in STEM.

BREAKDOWN OF BENEFICIARIES

Annually, the trust will impact 5000 primary-level girls from  (8 –11 years old) annually exposed to ICT and ICT opportunities, also informed about resources available to them via internet.

Three thousand (3, 000) secondary level girls from the ages of  (13 –18 years old) annually certified in coding, cyber security, exposed to age-appropriate ICT related skills, and engaged with role models in ICT and STEM and  One thousand (1000) tertiary level girls from (18 and above) annually paired with a mentor, placed in a STEM internship, short-term or full-time position, applying for graduate level programs in STEM, or positions in STEM.

Virtual mentoring platform bringing GIICT graduates and participants together with supportive role models.

A Cohort of 32 Master trainers tasked to tour the country to recruit, train, and support staff trainers will also be an addition from the programme.

Some 150 staff trainers would be trained annually to provide training to girls in schools whiles another 50 ICT hubs will be created or upgraded annually to offer female friendly services, support, and guidance.

The post Over 9,000 young women to benefit from govt’s ‘Girls in ICT Trust’ annually – Ursula Owusu-Ekuful first appeared on 3News.

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