Minister For Communications Strive To Bridge Digital Divide
An 11 member national committee on girls in ICT has been formed to design and implement a Programme that will ensure awareness-raising and policy intervention towards mainstreaming girls in ICT. More importantly, the major outcome of the Programme should be an increase in the number of girls (women) participating in the field of ICT at all levels including research, policy formulation, decision-making, design, production, delivery, usage, repair and maintenance. As its first assignment, the Committee is to present a report on Girls in ICT, incorporating its Programme and recommendations for the rapid mainstreaming of girls in ICT to the Ministry of Communications.
According to the Minister for Communications Hon. Haruna Iddrisu (MP) who launched the programme, the initiative is as a result of the immediate and long term effect of gender disparities in ICT and a drive to bridge the digital divide.
The beneficiaries of the Girls in ICT Programme are girls from age 5 to 25. The stakeholders include the Ministry of Communications and all its sector agencies, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs and the National Development Planning Commission. Partnerships will be established with the ICT sector, relevant public and private institutions, donors, corporate sponsors and interested individuals. Collaboration will be sought from groups such as media houses, NGOs, parents, teachers, women in ICT, women’s associations and queen mothers.
The major outcomes of the Girls in ICT Programme will be improvements in quality and quantity of research, innovations, designs, trends, workforce diversity and developments in ICT as well as increases in the number of ICT businesses and jobs across all sectors, from the untapped 51% female population of Ghana.
The chairperson for the committee Ms Eva Lokko insisted that the committee will make a variation to the old saying: “Teach a boy and you have taught one individual,teach a girl and you have taught a whole nation and the whole wide world”, “Knowledge is power, so let’s have two powerful pillars – our girls and our boys, to make our nation great and strong. Together, they are a formidable force. Mainstreaming Girls in ICT is therefore a must”. « back to Latest News
