The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, in partnership with MTN Ghana, recently celebrated National Girls in ICT Day in a grand ceremony that honored a thousand beneficiaries of the Girls-in-ICT training program in the Greater Accra Region.

The event, held at the University of Ghana’s Cedi Conference Centre, featured leading female ICT professionals sharing their experiences and inspiring young girls to pursue careers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, emphasized the government's efforts to develop a sustainable financial model with improved training content, aiming to benefit more girls throughout the year.

This initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender Equality).

A notable highlight of the event was the launch of the Ghana Girls in ICT Trust. This Trust aims to create a continuous pipeline of trained and empowered girls and women, fostering a supportive national environment for young women in ICT and STEM fields.

Speaking to journalists, Minister Owusu-Ekuful explained the importance of the Trust in addressing funding challenges. She noted that the Trust would facilitate public-private sector partnerships, attracting more partners to sustain the program.

“Funding has always been a challenge, but with the Trust in place, we can now engage potential donors. Several have shown interest but were previously hesitant due to it being a purely governmental initiative. The Trust, as a public-private partnership, will welcome donor agencies, individuals, and companies as Trustees. This inclusion will allow them to incorporate funding for the Trust into their annual budgets, ensuring a sustainable stream of funding for the project,” said Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.

Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, reiterated the government’s commitment to equipping young girls with essential ICT skills to excel in an increasingly technological world.

During the launch, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN, Adwoa Wiafe, revealed that MTN Ghana plans to engage with the Ministry to explore further support for the initiative.

“We understand that the Ministry is transitioning this into a Trust, and we will discuss with the Ministry to understand their plans and determine our future involvement,” said Adwoa Wiafe.

This year’s National Girls in ICT Day included a comprehensive five-day ICT training program for both students and teachers. The event culminated with the top 100 students receiving brand new laptops and laptop bags. The three best-performing students were additionally awarded plaques and cash prizes.

MTN Ghana, a partner of the Ministry since 2021, has invested GH¢15.6 million in the program, contributing to the training of 9,000 girls and 900 teachers in basic ICT skills, including coding, website design, game development, and animation. The initiative has so far reached regions such as North-East, Western-North, Ahafo, Bono-East, Bono, Savannah, Northern, Eastern, and Greater Accra.