The contribution, according to Business Ghana, will last three years and is part of MTN Ghana’s 25th-anniversary celebrations. MTN Ghana’s Chief Corporate Services Officer, Samuel Koranteng, said the firm was happy to assist the government’s efforts to close the gender gap in the country’s ICT industry at a brief ceremony in Accra to give the contribution.
“Our core belief as a business is that everyone deserves the benefits of 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.
“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.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, stated that the country’s tech sector has long been dominated by males, necessitating the need to teach and encourage more women to enter the field. She believes that exposing girls to ICT at a young age would help them develop the essential abilities to compete in the tech sector later on.
“I am excited how young girls have joined the program 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 presently being taught in Ghana’s Western North area as part of an ongoing event. She went on to say that she hopes to see more women receiving training around the country to help them advance in their careers.
MTN Ghana was praised for its generosity, and Owusu-Ekuful called on other organizations to sponsor the initiative so that more African women may get much-needed ICT knowledge and skills.
