Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai has urged the youth to leverage on technology to stay relevant and succeed in this new age of technology.

According to her, technology is the new way of development, therefore, it’s imperative for the youth of today to take advantage in order to for them to succeed in the future. 

“A few years from now Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, machine learning, 3D printing and augmented reality will all be deeply rooted in our everyday lives just like computers, phones and electricity are necessities today.

"Many organisations are beginning to leverage technology and require fewer employees but more tech-savvy ones. This means job roles are slowly disappearing and being replaced by skill sets,” she said.

Speaking at the 2020 International Youth Empowerment Summit (IYES) Virtual Conference, the CEO of Vodafone stressed on the need why the youth of today need to be knowledgeable in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) related courses for a more advanced way of doing things which will create the needed employment opportunities in the future.

“Now more than ever, employers require employees to be familiar with the ever-growing number of technologies they implement.

"They need critical thinkers, problem solvers, and creative people to make sure they succeed in the future of technology and thus being knowledgeable in STEM-related courses helps in that aspect of development”, she added.

Also contextualizing her comments with respect to the negative impact of COVID-19 and the new normal, she encouraged the youth to acquire new competencies and new skills.

“The fact that COVID-19 and the measures in place to confine the pandemic have slowed education and you are struggling to keep up, should not be an excuse. Have a mind-set where you have the desire and the confidence that you can learn anything to enrich your work life.

Take your education into your own hands by learning something new -coding, behavioural psychology, automation tools, and play with data - be curious. Online and offline courses have never been more readily available or rich in content, take advantage of them. It is time to build something,” she explained.  

Patricia Obo-Nai further cautioned the public to desist from positioning STEM subjects as difficult and male related because employers in building a future-ready workforce will certainly look out for employees who are well versed in these areas.

“According to the 2010 Population and Housing Censuses, Ghana recorded a rapid growth of the adolescent and youth population which women form a significant part of the population.

"Girls and women should, therefore, be encouraged to take up these courses. Let us change our minds, stop causing fear of these subjects and challenge ourselves. Technology is the future and it is exciting, be ready!” she concluded.

The 2020 International Youth Empowerment Summit (IYES) Virtual Conference was organised under the theme “Breaking Limits” to inform, inspire and empower the youth not only on Christian values but also on real-life issues and ways to face them.