Ghana as a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is joining the world and other member nations to celebrate this year’s International Girls in ICT Day.

The programme which is earmarked to expose girls to technology and related subjects is being celebrated in Ghana this year in some five regions namely, Bono East, Bono, Savana and Northern region.

The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, in a short message said Ghana remains committed to the ITU and it’s activities which aims to make the use of technology easier for female students.

The message partly read “we are delighted to celebrate International Girls in ICT Day on 28th April, the day set aside for each year, under the theme “Access and Safety”. 

"We remain committed to the three main goals of the Girls-in-ICT Initiative which is to encourage girls and young women to pursue ICT education, Inspire girls and young women to work in ICT careers and also Engage the community and promote collaboration through partnerships", she added.

The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has celebrated the Girls-in-ICT Initiative since it’s launch in 2012 by targeting young girls and young ladies at the Basic, Secondary and Tertiary level to enhance and direct attention to ICT careers, reducing the barriers creating access and improving online safety.

Since 2018, we have chosen to celebrate the Girls In ICT (GIICT) programme throughout the year and expanded its reach on a regional rotation basis to introduce more girls across the country to the wonders of digital technology. 

"This year, our GIICT program will cover 5 Regions, and train 500 ICT Teachers and 5,000 Girls. At the secondary and tertiary levels, 100,000 high school girls,100 tertiary students, 100 teachers and parents will also benefit from the training. For the first time, in 2021, 75 female students in tertiary institutions were trained in Cyber Security, artificial intelligence, block chain and other cutting edge digital technologies”.

The programme has also been enriched in Ghana with Open Days and mentorship from female ICT professionals.

The participants get the opportunity to network with ICT industry players and women achievers in their workplace who encourage them to aspire for greatness in this exciting industry.

 Strategic partners have been supporting these interventions to bridge the gender digital divide and promote a Safer Digital Ghana.

The statement adds, to sustain the interest and to track the girls on the GIICT initiatives, "we are developing a web portal to serve as a key education resource and information hub for further knowledge acquisition and networking."

"As we leave footprints across the country and ignite interest in ICT in girls nationwide, the demand for inclusion in this exciting initiative has increased. We look forward to working with more private sector players, development partner stakeholders and interested individuals to expand the scope of this initiative to include more girls."

"Today, we add our voice to others across the world to say ‘Girls in ICT, accessing ICTs safely", statement concluded.