The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has advised young girls not to shy away from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

Delivering a speech at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Seeds for the Future Program, the Minister explained that STEM education was necessary in enhancing digital skills to shape and better the lives of females.

She reiterated her calls for more girls to participate in STEM-related courses and be able to stand out among their peers as they view the world from a different perspective.

“Careers are gender-neutral, don’t shy away from choosing STEM as your lifetime career, nor should you be afraid to demonstrate your leadership skills."

The eight-day Seeds for the Future Program offered about 50 outstanding Ghanaian tertiary ladies the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in digitalisation and enable them to explore how digital technologies can be used to address common societal problems.

The project is an initiative started in 2021 under the Huawei Seeds for the Future digital skills training programme.

The Minister commended Huawei for its commitment to such an initiative, adding that it would go a long way to harness the potential of young women and enable them to compete equitably in the ICT space.

According to her, Huawei in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has successfully trained over 25,000 Senior High School girls in Cyber Security and Privacy Protection this year, with over 40 schools benefiting from the initiative.

She encouraged beneficiaries of the programme to take the intensive online training seriously and place Ghana on top of the Global Seeds ladder.

“I must add that digital adoption and use can also offer women, and girls, in particular, opportunities to overcome hurdles they may face in the physical world. Digital access can empower women and girls, help expand their sense of self in the world, increase civic engagement, and raise awareness of their rights.

“It will also facilitate flexible working hours, enabling women to combine their caregiving roles and careers effectively, working from home with digital platforms,” Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said.