In a bid to empower women and girls, LoveAid Foundation, in partnership with the National Youth Authority (Agotime-Ziope Secretariat), Youth Alliance for Sustainability, Vanak Limited, and McGharbins Youth Network, organised an educational outreach targeting Junior High School students and women in the informal sector in the Agotime-Ziope district.

The initiative aimed to highlight the importance of educating the girl-child, seizing opportunities, and encouraging careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

The event combined motivational talks and hands-on training to inspire young girls to see STEM as an accessible and promising career path while equipping women with knowledge to foster community development.

In an interview with JoyNews, the Executive Director of LoveAid Foundation, Princess Lovia Tetteh, emphasised the importance of including women and girls in the nation’s development agenda.

"The male and female are needed in regard to sustainable development. We are in a world of partnership and collaboration, so if we really want to move forward as a nation, as a global world, we need to engage each and every stakeholder. Our girls and women cannot be left out," Lovia stated.

The District Youth Coordinator for the National Youth Authority in Agotime-Ziope, Selorm Kwadzo Aklasu-Aho, echoed this sentiment, stressing the Authority's commitment to fostering holistic development among young people, especially in STEM fields.

"At the National Youth Authority, it is our role to see young people develop holistically, and STEM and girl-child education is one of the ways to empower our young girls. This time around, we don't want them to see STEM as something far away from them but to approach it in a way they can relate to and understand before looking at the broader picture," he said.

The Executive Director of Youth Alliance for Sustainability, Joshua Tetteh Ayayi, also called for more initiatives to encourage young women to pursue STEM careers.

He emphasised the long-term benefits of such empowerment, stating that "when young women take up careers in STEM, they will be able to live a long, productive life, and it benefits the whole of humanity."