Huawei Technologies Ghana, in partnership with the Communications Ministry and Education Ministry, has begun the second phase of its Digital Technologies training in Ghana.

The digital technologies training, which is aimed at equipping Senior High School girls with 21st-century Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills, will focus on topics like Artificial Intelligence, Privacy protection and Cyber Security as a means of increasing student awareness of internet safety and introducing them to the basic AI concepts.

The training was officially opened on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, by the Deputy Communications Minister, Ama Pomaa Boateng, at St. Mary’s Vocational Institute and Tamale Girls Senior High school in the Northern region of Ghana.

The training started in Tamale and is expected to benefit 100,000 girls, including students in the Bono East, Bono, Ahafo, Volta and Oti regions.

Speaking on the essence of the training, the Deputy Minister indicated that the initiative comes as part of the Ministry’s Digital Inclusion agenda aimed at exposing more youth, especially females, to the latest trends in ICT whiles motivating them to develop an interest in STEM.

She indicated that with technology at the centre of development, the significance of ICT education cannot be underestimated hence the need to involve more students in digital skills training to enhance their skills capacity.

She lauded Huawei for partnering with the MoCD to train more girls at second-cycle institutions.

The Deputy Minister motivated the girls to take the training seriously and advised them on the essence of having a positive presence on the internet.

The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, at a press briefing on Sunday, July 31, 2022, also commended Huawei for continuously partnering with the Ministry to engage more women in ICT and for its rural telephony project aimed at expanding network connectivity to the underserved and unserved communities in Ghana.

The Director of Government and Public Affairs at Huawei, Jenny Zhou said since its inception, the program has encouraged beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity and embrace STEM with a positive attitude.

According to her, Huawei is committed to empowering more women through such capacity-building initiatives to enhance their potential and prepare them for the digital world.

Some schools yet to benefit from the training include; Our Lady of Mount Camel Senior High School, St Ann's Girls Senior High, Our Lady of Providence Senior High, Notre Dame Girls Senior High, Ola Girls Senior High, Serwaa Kese Girls Senior High, E.P.C Mawuko Girls Senior High, St Catherine Girls Senior High, Kyabobo Girls school among others.

Through the digital technologies training and capacity-building programmes, Huawei seeks to contribute its quota towards the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, as well as the development of Ghana’s ICT sector.

Last year, Huawei Ghana, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications, the Rebecca Foundation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Education and the Kofi Annan ICT Center of Excellence, trained over 50,000 girls and traders in Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence and Financial Technology.