At a forum to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) in Tamale, stakeholders have expressed the need for everyone to invest in technology and innovation to increase interest, access and participation of women in the digital world.
She argued that ensuring digital literacy for women would improve their economic empowerment, which would extend to families, societies and the national economy.
The participants included representatives of civil society organizations, public institutions, youth groups, selected students.
It was organized in partnership with the Savannah Women’s Integrated Development Agency-Ghana (Swida-GH), an NGO, Plan International Ghana, the World Food Programme, the African Women’s Development Fund, the Global Fund for Women and the Department of Gender.
The global theme for this year’s event was “DigitalAll: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”, while the local theme chosen by SWIDA-GH was “It’s Possible: Support Systems and Opportunities for Women and Girls in a Digitalall World”. Building of; construction of” .
Speaking during the forum, Miss Gyamila Abdulwabi, Head of the World Food Program Ghana sub-office in Tamale, called for a gendered approach to innovation, technology and digital education.
He said that this will increase awareness among women/girls and men/boys about their rights, roles and responsibilities and ensure that no one is left behind.
Hajiya Alima Sagitto-Sayed, executive director of Swida-GH, said that despite the amount of technology-related enterprises, there are few women engaged in this field compared to men.
She called on the government to implement policies to make the internet accessible, improve inclusion, and close the gender gap in all sectors.
Dr. Hanifa Mumuni Nepari, lecturer at Tamale Technical University, said the full potential of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education cannot be explored without technological tools, so they need to be made accessible to young girls.
She urged parents to introduce girls to information technology programs at a young age, and called on the public to mobilize support for women entrepreneurs.
Expressing the need for a positive attitude and mindset to enhance women’s access to technology, Mr. Prosper Amukandoh, President, Future Energy, World Energy Council, said that no course or job was created only for men.
She encouraged young women to take STEM courses and urged women in the informal sector to take literacy training on the use of technology.