MTN Supports Girls-in-ICT Program with 10 Million Cedis
Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful on 1st September 2021, received a 10-million-cedi cheque from the Telecommunications giant, MTN, to support the Ministry’s Girls-in-ICT program over a three (3) year period as part of their 25th Anniversary Celebrations.
The Girls-in-ICT event is an international initiative instituted in 2012 and supported by member States of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) following the unanimous adoption of appropriate gender related solutions to mainstream gender into the activities of the union and to encourage Members to promulgate relevant policies and implement interventions aimed at promoting gender equality within the ICT space.
The Minister indicated that digital technology is indispensable for every human endeavour but without the infrastructure and the Know How, it will be impossible.
She expressed passion about the need to train girls in ICT to erase the assumption that women are not able to engage as men. “Introducing young girls to tech has been dear to my heart and I am excited about how young girls has taken to it” she noted.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful was particularly excited about the mentorship part of the Girls-in-ICT training, where 100 girls from selected district from a particular region are camped in Accra to interact with female engineers and other women in ICT to enable them gain understanding of the practical application of technology in different institutions.
“It’s my dream to train more girls, so I was particularly excited when MTN indicated that they will look at my request to fund the program, in so doing, it is anticipated that through the initiative female participants in the ICT sector will increase and hence, help bridge the gender divide existing within this sector of the economy” Minister indicated.
The Chief Corporate Services Officer (CCSO) for MTN, Mr. Samuel Koranteng indicated that the gesture is a demonstration of their support for Government’s efforts to address the female participation gap within the Ghanaian ICT sector.
“The MTN Group is a signatory to the United Nations Women Empowerment Principles. By this, we have pledged our commitment to the advancement of Gender Equality and the empowerment of women. Our core belief as a business is that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life. We therefore strive to ensure that men and women benefit equally from ICT”.
Mr. Koranteng pledged his support to the Minister as faithful partners in her quest to change the landscape of Ghana’s technological development with initiatives such as Girls in ICT.
