The Forum for African Women Educationalists, Ghana chapter (FAWE Ghana), a Non-governmental Organisation has called on the government to invest in girls and young women to help bridge the gender gap in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

In a statement to commemorate this year’s International Girls in ICT Day on the theme: “leadership” it said ICT was a critical tool for bridging the gender digital divide and empowering girls and young women in ICT would ensure a balance in the socioeconomic and political development of the country.

“We recommend that the government, through the Ministries of Education and Communication accelerate the girls in ICT programme and eliminate inequalities in education, employment, and decision-making through the deployment and exploitation of ICTs,” it said.

According to the statement, the International Technology Union, of which Ghana was a member, revealed that only 21 per cent of ICT ministers were women while 32 out of 165 ICT regulators were led by women, and 22 per cent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) workers globally were women.

In the private sector, women technologists occupy less than a third of positions and face a pay gap of 21 per cent and these gender gaps have become a challenge that needs to be addressed since the statistics are not commensurate with the population of women globally, it added.

“As we make great strides in digital transformation with the emergence of innovative technological tools, more needs to be done regarding the role girls and women play in this transformation and their inclusivity in policy-making decisions in the ICT sector.

Today as we celebrate Girls in ICT under the theme: ‘Leadership’ and to highlight the critical need for female role models in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, we at FAWE Ghana ask that women vying for leadership roles in ICT institutions, both in the public and private sector, be given equal opportunities and remunerated in equal measure,” it stressed.

The statement said it was crucial to shift focus to mentoring and empowering more girls and young women in ICT and added that “it is not just about equipping them with technical skills but also about nurturing the leadership skills they need, to take up key positions in the industry.

“Each of us has a role to play in bridging the gender gap in the ICT sector. As we continue to transform the digital space, FAWE Ghana, in our commitment to educating girls and women, will work with stakeholders to make greater strides in the sector”.