Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has encouraged women to take the right steps and introduce initiatives encouraging more women to pursue careers in technology to ensure diversity and inclusion.
She echoed that, despite numerous technological advances, the tech industry continues to be dominated by men. Women make up only a small percentage of the workforce, showing the degree of gender disparity.
Speaking at the just-ended Females in Tech (FEMITECH) Conference organized by the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE) on Wednesday, March 8, at the GI-KACE auditorium, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful stated, “Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) five aims to achieve gender equality and empower girls and I see this goal manifesting in this year’s FEMITECH conference. Today, we are empowering women and girls to pick up careers and leadership positions in ICT.”
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful commended the Director-General of GI-KACE, Dr Collins Yeboah – Afari and the organising committee for such an amazing program of knowledge sharing among females that will help raise a generation of young women who will pick up the mantle to become leaders and technology giants in the not-so-distant future. “ It gladdens my heart that a male Director General promotes female activism in technology, which is a sign that men are ready to support and promote gender equality,” she added.
In a welcome address, the Director-General for Ghana India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE), Dr Collins Yeboah – Afari urged all men to join the worthy cause of helping women build a future where women will have equal representation and opportunities in the tech industry. He added that women could make a positive impact and pave the way for future generations in technological development and innovation when women in tech from academia, industry and policymakers have conversations to promote equality and break the biases in the tech space.
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At the FEMITECH Conference, the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, was awarded for her outstanding leadership in Tech and Women Empowerment. Other individuals awarded for their role in promoting technology also included Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences, University of Ghana and the quiz mistress for the National Science and Maths quiz; Ing. Dr Lucy Agyepong, Dean of Engineering, Academic City University College; Winnifred Kotin, Chief Operations Officer and Co-Founder of Super Fluid AI Lab. Notably, Nana Yaa Konadu, a renowned media practitioner at Peace FM, was awarded for her exceptional work in using ICT to promote women’s empowerment.
FEMITECH
The FEMITECH conference is focused on female tech practitioners and aspiring females in Tech. The conference aims to inspire and empower women in this industry and create a supportive community to help them achieve their goals. In attendance was Fatoumata Doro (MD, Vilsco Ghana Group), Ing. Dr Lucy Agyepong (Associate Dean of Engineering, Academic City University College), Suzanne Diop (Head Of Nestle Business Services For Sub Saharan Africa), Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann (Dean of Engineering, University of Ghana), Mrs Eva Andoh-Poku, Deputy (CEO, GIFEC), members of Ghana Journalists Association, tertiary students, students from second cycle institutions, ICT groups, individuals from corporate Ghana.