Sixty young ‘Girls In ICT’ from different schools in the Western Region were hosted by telecom operator AirtelTigo through a mentorship event as part of activities outlined by the Ministry of Communications for the celebration of this year’s National Girls in ICT Day.
The mentorship event, which took place at the company’s headquarters in Accra was under theme ‘Girls with Purpose’.
Welcoming the girls, aged 9 to 16 years, the Chief Executive Officer at AirtelTigo, Ms. Mitwa Kaemba Ng’ambi highlighted how she would love to see some the girls leading ICT sector companies in Ghana and international arena leading and championing Information Communications Technology (ICT) programmes.
“There is a wealth of information available on the internet to help you learn more and enhance your knowledge in the fast-changing ICT sector,” she said and urged the girls to take advantage of the opportunity to develop themselves.
During the event, some female engineers shared inspiring career stories and encouraged them to pursue careers in ICT. The girls were also taken through presentations on confidence, ethics and time management in a breakout session with three female senior executives.
The girls who were eager to learn also toured the company’s data centre. They were exposed to the technology behind the gadgets and applications their parents use on a daily basis.
A student from the Ellembelle District, Beatrice Ofosu narrated the support she received from her teacher during the early stages of her journey as a coder. “So far, I have coded a scratch game for my schoolmates and an online registration form for Adamus Resources a mining company in the Western Region.”
She added: “Today’s mentoring event was really eye-opening and has changed my perspective of ICT and I believe that with hard work it is possible to achieve the impossible.” Gracing the occasion, the Minister for Communications, Honourable Ursula Owusu-Ekuful urged the girls to be obedient, confident but should be ethical in the ways.
“It’s not enough to acquire knowledge, you must be ethical, too. Ethics is what makes a difference between a good employee and an exceptional employee. We expect you to excel and hope many of you will take opportunities in the ICT industry,” she remarked.
The girls were also entertained by the amazing display of disc jockeying by Erica Bra-Bulu Armah Tandoh, commonly known as DJ Switch. She expertly operated the turntables and dished out some groovy hiplife music.
Under the international ‘Girls in ICT Day’ banner, the National Girls-in-ICT Initiative is aimed at encouraging more girls to pursue careers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
