BONO GIRLS IN ICT: GHANA MARKS INTERNATIONAL ICT DAY; A GLOBAL INNOVATION.

This year and every year, the Ministry and its partners work together to develop solutions and ideas for lowering barriers to access and improve safety online for girls and young women. This year’s occasion took place in the Bono Region.

The Girls in ICT programme, was introduced in 2012 by the International Telecommunications Union to empower and encourage girls and young women to acquire digital skills and consider studies and careers in the growing field of information and communication technologies.

For girls and young women to thrive in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers, they need safe and reliable access to the internet and digitalization tools.

“Ghana is developing and growing the digital literacy and skills of the Ghanaian child for them to become solution providers and innovators using technology to solve socio-economic problems” Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, minister of Communications and Digitalization, speaker at the just ended programme in Bono stated in her speech.

The Girls in ICT initiative seeks to train 5000 young girls and 500 ICT/STEM teachers in 5 regions for the year 2022 with Bono Region taking the second position.

“it’s a humbling experience to be in my region as we witness the transformation these young girls have undergone over these few days, as they have seized the opportunity to challenge the status quo and the stereotype that, ICT is a preserve for boys” she said.

A 14- year-old Hawao Omoro was declared the overall best in the Bono Region. She took home a cash prize of 3000 cedis, a laptop, an establishment of an ultramodern Computer Laboratory for her school and some other personal rewards from Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful.

Hawao Omoro, the winner, was thankful to the Ministry and sponsors of the initiative as her dream of becoming a nurse looks brighter with the basic ICT skills acquired from the programme.

The best twenty schools also benefited from the establishment of ultramodern computer laboratories to enhance the study of ICT, hence improving socio-economic development.