Digital Economy: Let’s give Women and Girls Equal Opportunities for Participation – MTN’s Adwoa Wiafe

MTN Ghana is celebrating the International Day of Girls in ICT with the theme “Leadership”. The focus this year is on the importance of strong female role models in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. The International Day of Girls in ICT is observed on April 25th each year and is an initiative supported by ITU Member States to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT).

This year, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization, MTN Ghana hosted ICT students from Aburi Girls SHS at the MTN House for a facility visit and interaction with female engineers. Additionally, the MTN Ghana Foundation will partner with Mobile Web Ghana, an ICT company, to encourage girls in junior high schools in and around the Agbogba community to pursue STEM careers.

Adwoa Wiafe, the Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN Ghana, congratulated women and institutions in Ghana that are championing the cause of girls in ICT. She called on Corporate Ghana to join the efforts in increasing female representation in ICT/STEM. She emphasized MTN Ghana’s commitment to ensuring that women and girls have equal opportunities to participate in the digital economy, noting that providing girls with equal access to digital training and education is crucial in shaping a strong digital future.

MTN Ghana has been promoting Girls in ICT in basic and senior high schools as well as the tertiary institutions for several years now. The company has so far invested GHs 12.6 million to support the Girls in ICT project led by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization, benefiting over 8,000 girls across Ghana.

The MTN Ghana Foundation has also established Robotics and ICT facilities in collaboration with institutions and communities to bridge the digital gap. Recently, the MTN Ghana Foundation handed over a state-of-the-art Robotics Centre to the Mamfe Methodist Girls SHS at a cost of GHC2,280,489. The facility includes a 100-seater hall for Robotics training and practice, a research room equipped with computers for teachers and students, robotics equipment, furniture, and internet access.  MTN Ghana Foundation also provides training and coding workshops for girls in Basic and Senior High Schools.

The Foundation’s strategy is to focus largely on digital skills training and facilitation with the goal of preparing the youth for emerging job opportunities.