Africa’s largest telco MTN Group through its Ghanaian subsidiary MTN Ghana has donated $1.6-million (GHS10-million) to support the Girls in Information Communication Technology (ICT) Project. A Ghanaian initiative hoping and aimed at exposing the ICT sphere to young women.
According to Business Ghana, the donation is set to run for three years and is part of MTN Ghana’s 25-anniversary celebration. Speaking at a brief ceremony to present the donation in Accra, Samuel Koranteng, Chief Corporate Services Officer of MTN Ghana, said that the company was pleased to support the government’s efforts to address the female participation gap within the country’s ICT sector.
“Our core belief as a business is that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life. We, therefore, strive to ensure that men and women benefit equally from ICT,” Koranteng said, while also noting that MTN is a signatory to the United Nations Women Empowerment Principles, which has encouraged the firm to advance the cause and proliferation of gender equality in their business.
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“Gender Empowerment is a key strategic component of MTN’s Corporate Social Investment and over the years we have made significant contributions in this regard. We however do not wait until precocious young girls become seasoned women professionals before taking an interest in them. Our contributions start from the grassroots level,” he added.
Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said that the country’s tech sector over the years had been dominated by men, hence the need to train and encourage more women to shift into the sector. She said introducing girls to ICT early would help the building of necessary skills to compete in the tech industry later on.
“I am excited how young girls have joined the programme and are learning the mainstream ICT education like decoding and building of websites,” Owusu-Ekuful said.
According to the Minister, 1,000 young women are currently being trained in an ongoing event in the Western North region of Ghana. She added that she is hopeful to see more women receive training all across the country to bolster their career opportunities.
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Owusu-Ekuful thanked MTN Ghana for their kind gesture and called on other organisations to support the programme in enabling more African women to acquire much-needed ICT knowledge and skills.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry