Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has emphasized the need for greater efforts to ensure girls and young women have equal opportunities to participate in Ghana's technology-driven future. She made this call at the graduation ceremony of the fifth cohort of the Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation's (HACSA) Tech4Girls programme in Accra on Tuesday, September 29. The ceremony saw 80 young women graduate from the programme.
The Vice President highlighted the importance of digital skills in today's economy, as technology continues to reshape education, employment, business, and other sectors. She noted that initiatives such as Tech4Girls are helping to equip women and girls with the skills needed to take advantage of opportunities in the digital economy. The Tech4Girls programme provides training in software coding, artificial intelligence, digital literacy, web development, and cybersecurity.
The graduation ceremony was part of activities marking HACSA's 10th anniversary. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said a 10-year anniversary is an occasion to highlight what has been accomplished and to reflect on what may yet be achieved. She commended HACSA for its efforts in expanding digital skills training among young Ghanaians, particularly girls and women.
The government is working with the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to extend foundational digital skills training to more young Ghanaians. The Vice President also highlighted the Girls in ICT programme, which introduces girls to coding, animation, and computing. This programme aims to provide girls with the skills and confidence to pursue careers in technology and related fields.
A new partnership with Huawei will provide artificial intelligence training to 3,000 girls under the Girls in ICT programme. This initiative will also create a pathway for participants into the government's One Million Coders programme. The Vice President emphasized that girls must have an equal place in Ghana's digital future and urged the graduates to apply their digital skills to practical challenges in their communities.
The government is partnering with tertiary institutions to expand the One Million Coders programme, which targets coding, cybersecurity, data analytics, and related digital skills. Fifty thousand training places have been reserved for persons with disabilities under the programme, as part of the government's effort to make digital skills development more inclusive.
The Vice President urged the graduates to continue learning, develop products that respond to people's needs, and use technology to solve problems within their communities. She encouraged them to see themselves as active participants in Ghana's transformation and remain adaptable as technology continues to evolve. The graduation marks the latest cohort of HACSA's Tech4Girls programme, which seeks to equip young women with digital skills and prepare them for further education, employment, and entrepreneurship.
Key points
- The Vice President called for equal opportunities for girls and young women in Ghana's technology-driven future.
- The government is working to expand digital skills training among young Ghanaians, particularly girls and women.
- A new partnership with Huawei will provide artificial intelligence training to 3,000 girls under the Girls in ICT programme.
