Ecobank Ghana, an affiliate of Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African banking group, in partnership with Ghana Code Club, donated various items to two beneficiary basic schools in Ghana, as part of the bank’s annual Ecobank Day celebration over the weekend.

The schools are South Labone Girls Technical Institute in Accra and Potters Village Orphanage at Dodowa.

Each school received a refurbished computer laboratory, that is fully equipped to serve as a digital centre to train students on web development, animation, robotics, and artificial intelligence for 6 months.

Each school was also provided with locally authored books, to serve as supplementary readers, for upper primary and junior high school students as part of the bank’s efforts to promote African literature.

The day also saw the bank cut sod to refurbish ICT Labs at Bishop Assuah Catholic Basic School in Takoradi and 4 Garrison Educational Centre, in Kumasi, where similar facilities will be provided to improve teaching and learning.

Ecobank Day is Ecobank’s flagship social impact initiative led by the Ecobank Foundation on which Ecobank’s employees give back to their communities.

The 2024 event was themed ‘Ignite Learning with AI’ and focused on foundational learning and how Artificial Intelligence can be harnessed to improve children's acquisition of basic skills in literacy, numeracy and digital literacy.

Speaking at the event, Abena Osei-Poku, Managing Director of Ecobank Ghana said: “Ensuring that Ghanaian children are equipped with basic literacy, numeracy and digital skills at an early age will provide them with the right foundation for their future, help them thrive at school, gain the skillsets that will prepare them for this rapidly evolving digital age, and broaden their employment and life opportunities.

"This year’s Ecobank Day activities saw our employees and management volunteering their time for a range of activities in different communities across Ghana, including the provision of digital centres with free Internet connectivity and six months of free tuition on digital skills.

"We have also donated a wide range of supplementary readers for upper primary and JHS students, all valued at about GH¢2.2million for the 4 schools.

"I want to express my immense gratitude and appreciation to our Ecobank Day partners, Ghana Code Club, and especially to Ms Ernestina Appiah who is the Founder and CEO.”

Mrs Osei-Poku concluded that this year’s donations and activities align with the second year of Ecobank’s three-year ‘Transforming Africa Through Education’ campaign, as well as the Africa Union’s declaration of 2024 as the year of education on the theme ‘Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century’, which highlights the importance of integrating technology into foundational learning.

On her part, the Founder and CEO of Ghana Code Club, Ernestina Appiah said: “Today marks a new chapter in our journey as we partner with Ecobank to provide training that will not only empower students but also equip teachers to guide them.

"These teachers will play a pivotal role in nurturing creativity and innovation in the classroom, helping their students to become proficient in coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

"The training will focus on integrating AI into the learning process, encouraging problem-solving, and inspiring invention. By using coding and robotics as a foundation, we can unlock the potential of young minds to imagine and create solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.

"We are excited to see how these centres will serve as hubs for innovation, collaboration, and creativity in the communities they serve. Together, we will continue to inspire and support our youth in becoming leaders in technology and STEM fields.”

Joseph Attigah, Director for Training Institutions at the Department of Social Welfare and Mrs Gifty Tepkor, Head Mistress of South Labone Girls Technical Institute, both thanked Ecobank for their support, indicating that the digital centre at South Labone would be put to good use and protected for the benefit of many more school children.

Since its launch in 2013, Ecobank Day has pioneered critical interventions and supported a wide range of deserving causes for different sections of society.

These include Education for Young People in Africa (2013); Malaria Prevention and Control (2014); Every African Child Deserves a better future (2015); ICT Education in Schools and Improving Maternal Health (2016); Safe Water Management (2017); Orphanages (2018); Cancer (2019); Diabetes (2020); Mental health (2021); financial literacy and financial inclusion (2022); and digital education for children (2023).