The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has said digital inclusion enables women to work remotely, safely and earn decent income.
“So, I think it’s incumbent on all of us to see how we can expand the frontiers for greater inclusion of women in this tech space,” she added.
Speaking at a private information session with selected Ghanaian women, policymakers and civil society groups with interest and expertise in digital inclusion on Tuesday in Accra, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the government was promoting women’s inclusion in the tech and digital space, citing the girls-in-ICT programme as an example.
The private information session, organised by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD) and Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, was also to explore opportunities in the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WIDEF).
WiDEF is a global initiative focused on closing the gender digital divide by identifying, directly funding and accelerating investment in proven solutions that will improve women’s livelihoods, economic security and resilience.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said Ghanaian women are prime candidates for the WiDEF project and encouraged them to take advantage of the opportunities the Fund offers.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful indicated that the Ministry has built a solid foundation to grow the tech and digital space in the country.
She said over 50% of beneficiaries of initiatives like Ghana Tech Lab and Mobile Hub are women.
“About 4,000 digital jobs have been created through the training that has been provided in this sector alone,” she added.
The Minister also noted that through the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), 22,000 people have received training in ICT and 70% of them are women.
She indicated that “formal education or literacy should not be a barrier to acquisition of digital skills,” adding that what matters most is to make it accessible to the people.
Bala Ali, ISD
