The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) School of Technology has launched the Women in Information Technology and Engineering (WITE) programme in Accra in an effort to generate the interest of girls and women in the field of Information Communications and Technology (ICT).
The launch, on the theme Empowering Women in Information Technology and Engineering, is to encourage girls and women in the Junior and Senior High Schools; and Tertiary institutions to consider a career in IT and engineering.
Coordinator of WITE, Felicia Engmann at the launch said, the objective of the project is to connect female students to successful women in IT and engineering to be their role models, provide career guidance and mentorship.
Activities lined up include the WITE schools and individual competitions, school tours and mentorship programmes among others.
Engmann also revealed that some IT companies have agreed to mentor the students to give them practical tutorials of their lessons.
He hopes that through the project, the myths preventing women from choosing careers in IT and engineering will be broken.
Natalie Anoma, Head of eProcess International SA, Ecobank Group Technology and a Keynote speaker at the event, encouraged women to pursue STEM courses.
She also entreated parents to stop stereotyping their daughters as “less intelligent” to study such subjects.
She noted that a country can develop when women- who make up more than half the population- in providing solutions to science, technology and engineering challenges in the country.
Dr. Joseph Adjei, the Dean of the GIMPA School of Technology, spoke of empowering girls and women through the WITE project to be critical thinkers and creators of technologies, and inspiring them to develop their full potential.
He added that, introducing girls at an early age to computer science would help to bridge the gender gap in the field of ICT and go a long way towards improving the economic outlook of women in the country.
Speakers at the event include Delphina Agyare of Soronko Academy, Jessica Poku of CSquared Ghana and many others.
Students from Kinbu, Kaneshie Technical SHS, St. Margret Mary, Accra Girls and other Senior High Schools were present at the event.
By: ClaraDoku/techvoiceafrica.com
