Ghana: ATC Ghana holds Virtual Technology Innovation Challenge for school girls

ATC Ghana in collaboration with Ghana Code Club has held a Virtual Technology Innovation Challenge for basic schoolgirls to mark this year’s International Telecommunications Union’s Girls in ICT Day on April 27, 2023.

The school girls from the Ashanti, Western, Western North and Eastern regions gathered at ATC Ghana’s Digital Communities learning centres to share their innovative ideas virtually with ATC Ghana and Ghana Code employees and senior executives who had connected from ATC Ghana offices in Accra.

The all-girls teams presented solutions to everyday life issues in the form of video games, included the use of technology in areas such as drone rescuing of victims during an earthquake, fish feeding and plant watering in a farm, separating waste for effective waste management, and an interactive website showcasing the regions of Ghana.

In a short opening remark, Yahaya Yunusa, ATC Ghana’s Chief Executive Officer expressed excitement for another year of the Girls in ICT programme, a key component of ATC Ghana’s sustainability and social impact initiatives.

He expressed hope that the girls in the programme will continue to follow the STEM path through their education and take up careers in ICT.

As the leading telecommunications infrastructure provider in the country, ATC Ghana’s commitment is to drive the development of highly skilled professionals for Ghana’s telecommunications industry, as well as support a digitally driven socio-economic life in line with its sustainability commitment. This year’s theme of International Girls in ICT Day, “Digital Skills for Life” aligns perfectly with ATC Ghana’s vision.

It is this vision that drives the company’s flagship projects, Digital Communities and Girls in ICT programmes which are geared towards piquing the interest of pupils in ICT-related programmes at an early age and directing them towards careers in the ICT field.

The Digital Communities, computer-equipped learning centres that utilise uninterrupted power supply and broadband connection from tower sites are usually located close to basic schools to ensure easy access to aid teaching and learning. With 10 so far in various parts of the country, over 5,000 beneficiaries plans to build an additional 10 in 2023 and many more in the years to follow, coupled with ATC Ghana’s partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization since 2018  where it supports the Ministry’s month-long training and mentorship for school girls.

At the end of the challenge, some of the company’s female ICT and engineering staff as well as female senior executives took turns to encourage the school girls to continue to focus on their studies in ICT and its related programmes, highlighting the key role they play and the associated opportunities in the world today. The schoolgirls were presented with certificates.