The African Business Centre for Development Education (ABCDE), a non-governmental organisation in partnership with Vivo Energy Ghana and Soronko Academy, has commenced a six-week intensive training programme for girls in coding and web development.
The programme, which sought to build the interest of girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and equip them with knowledge and skills would benefit 15 Basic School girls both in Accra and Kumasi.
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Mr Clifford Tetteh, the General Manager, ABCDE, said it focused on building the capacity of girls and boys through mentorship, internship and educative initiatives for them to be prepared for the job market.
He commended Vivo Energy for sponsoring the programme and Soronko Academy for widely opening its arms to house and train the students in STEM, which for years had become a male-dominated field.
He advised the students to be cooperative and make good use of the opportunity to get ahead in the contemporary world that was gradually being run by technology.
Mrs Shirley Tony Kum, the Corporate Communications Manager, Vivo Energy Ghana, said the oil and gas industry where she worked was one of the key sectors that heavily depended on STEM, hence, it was prudent for the students to prepare towards a technology-driven economy, if they wanted to excel in an oil and gas or Information Technology space.
She appealed to companies and organisations to offer internship opportunities to girls and women to enhance their knowledge on the different fields under STEM.
Mrs Kum also called on the private sector to organise job shadowing programmes and career fairs to boost the interest of girls in STEM, which would in return contribute immensely towards the growth of the private sector.
Ms Delphina Agyare, the Project Manager of Soronko Academy, said the training would among other benefits inculcate dignified skills into the students, especially those with the passion to become website developers.
She said it was imperative to offer the students STEM training to make them fit for variety of career paths and open for many career opportunities.
“We just celebrated International Women’s Day, and we are excited about this new programme. We are looking forward to the girls going against the stereotypes surrounding STEM against females and becoming full time website developers,” she said.
Janice, one of the beneficiaries of the training programme, on behalf of her mates, thanked the organisers for the opportunity and pledged to make them proud.
GNA
