WA, GHANA – Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to digital inclusion as the country’s Girls-in-ICT initiative climaxed in the Upper West Region this week, bringing to a close another cycle of a thirteen-year drive to equip young women with technology skills.
According to Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Samuel Nartey George, the programme forms a crucial part of the government’s determination to ensure women and girls participate fully in the nation’s digital transformation agenda, equipping them with essential ICT and STEM skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
In a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Minister Mohammed Adams Sukparu at the Franco Conference Hall in Wa, George emphasized that emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Metaverse, Coding, and Data Analytics are driving global economic growth. “Technologies and connectivity are rapidly transforming economies across the globe, and Ghana cannot afford to be an island,” he stated, underscoring what officials describe as the government’s “digital reset” agenda.
Highlighting the 2025 theme, “Girls in ICT for Inclusive Digital Transformation,” the minister underscored the importance of ensuring that women and girls are active participants in the nation’s digital evolution. He disclosed that through the Girls-in-ICT Initiative, the Ministry trains 3,000 girls and 300 ICT and STEM teachers across three administrative regions in each cycle, including girls with special needs to ensure inclusivity.
The programme, which Ghana adopted in 2012, has since reached nearly 18,000 girls and approximately 1,800 educators, while establishing 97 cyber laboratories and distributing 2,450 laptops across participating schools nationwide.
This year’s programme, which culminated in Wa, saw 1,000 girls complete intensive two-week training in web development, cybersecurity, machine learning, coding, and game design. At the closing ceremony, the top 100 students and 10 teachers received laptops and certificates, with cash prizes and trophies awarded to the three highest-performing participants. The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) pledged to refurbish ICT facilities at their respective schools.
Minister George also referenced the broader “One Million Coders Programme,” launched by the President to build youth capacity in Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, and other emerging digital skills. He called on parents, educators, development partners, and the private sector to support these initiatives to ensure sustainability and broader impact.
Acknowledging partnerships with MTN, American Tower Corporation, GIFEC, and the Ghana-Korea ICT Centre of Excellence, the minister stressed that “government remains resolute in its mission to make digital literacy a right and not a privilege.”
The emphasis on digital inclusion reflects Ghana’s policy positioning of technological access as central to development in the West African nation.
