One hundred and twenty students from 30 selected senior secondary schools in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions will compete in a first-ever computer programming exercise at the Saint Louis secondary school in Kumasi.

The “I Too Can Programme” (i2CAP) Computer Programming Competition, which is being organized by the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (AITI-KACE) with sponsorship from Finatrade Foundation, is designed to introduce young people in senior secondary schools to the world of ICT with a focus on computer programming.

Prizes worth ¢105 million will be presented to outstanding students and schools in the competition. Winners for the two regions will each receive five desk top computers while the first and second runner ups will each receive three and two desk top computers respectively.

All the participating schools will also be presented with set of computer science and mathematics books.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on the competition in Kumasi, Mrs Dorothy Gordon, Director General of AITI-KACE, said there were lots of talents in young people which needed to be tapped through challenging and enjoyable competitions like the i2CAP programme.

She explained that the competition would build their capacities and position them well to be full players in the global knowledge economy.

She said the competition was both incredibly challenging and fun, adding that, some students who participated in past competitions had started developing software applications.

Mr John Awuni, Executive Secretary of Finatrade Foundation, said the ICT industry would continue to grow if the country produced professionals capable of leveraging technology and teamwork to solve business challenges and address the needs in all areas of life.

He said the support for the i2CAP project would in the long run benefit the country and young people.