Mobile Telecommunications giant, MTN has partnered Women in Tech Africa to train young women in mobile technology applications to solve societal challenges and needs.

The apps developed by the young women who hitherto knew no coding and computer programming is to encourage women to participate in coding and computer programming is also to encourage females who have unquenchable interest in technology.

According to a Senior Manager at MTN, Georgina Asare-Fiagbenu, the training of the young women is an integral part of empowering women to venture into many technological applications that are springing up on the market and to improve their businesses.

“Since the launch of the MTN apps challenge, only guys have expressed interest in it and we at MTN felt that the gap between women and men in technology ought to be bridged,” she stated.

To achieve this goal, MTN partnered Women in Tech Africa, the largest women technology group based in Africa to train the girls in the development of the applications. 

The focus of the technology group is to set up Apps Camp to train young females in mobile Apps development, the creation of animations and other 3D applications to add value to the women that are trained.

Global project leader of Women In Tech Africa, Priscilla Adom Tawiah, believes promoting women in the field of technology is to make women leaders wherever they find themselves and to enable women to develop business and innovative ideas using the Apps they develop.

“From these ladies who knew practically nothing to be developed into technological giants whose products are now on Google Play Store for consumption by the society tells it all. The business ideas they have produced at the end of the competition we organized for them were amazing,” she stressed.

The group that placed first in the Apps Challenge that was organized after the training program, ‘E-Hub’, took home GHC2500 as prize money. 

The group developed an App that provides guidance and counseling services to children, parents, and teachers. The App, named ‘My Advisor’ located on the play store on the Android market is an educational and a valuable learning resource.

The group that placed second also won GHC1500. They developed an event management map and ticketing technology platform where event organizers can sign on to it to advertise their events and then show where their events tickets could be purchased.

The third group, FIX IT, developed a three-in-one App: a mechanic locator, a cost estimator and free tips for vehicles. 

The App simply locates one to a mechanic, helps estimate the cost of securing the services of a mechanic and offers free tips for users of vehicles.

The fourth group developed an event management App and ticketing technology platform where event organizers can advertise their goods and events on the App. The App also provides ushering services where a team of well-trained professionals would usher at events.

All the girls that have been trained will take part in the MTN Apps Challenge, according to MTN.

The girls were camped and trained for a period of 5 days in Cape Coast after a similar event was organized in Accra. 

The next stop for the project is in Kumasi.