Florence Toffa, the CEO of Mobile Ghana, has stressed the need for targeted programmes towards women to improve their participation in leadership, especially within the tech space.
Speaking during EdTechMonday on the Citi Breakfast Show, she called for specific policies to boost their participation.
As an example, Florence Toffa said her experience has shown that girls respond better to programmes targeted at them as opposed to co-ed invitations.
“When we did specific calls to the [app development training] programme, we got about 100 girls applying. What it means is that they want a room. They want something that meets their needs,” she said.
The lack of opportunities in the past and negative stereotypes requires that special attention is paid to building the confidence of girls.
“When they [women] are bungled together with men, sometimes they feel that they cannot compete,” Florence Toffa said.
Aside from tailored programmes, she also said collaboration between the private and public sector was key.
“There needs to public-private collaborations as well instead of seeing the private sector as competing or not doing much.”
She urged such collaborations to improve the exposure of girls to tech-based activities.
“Sometimes all the person needs is to be exposed, and it stirs up the curiosity and other things the person needs. If they are not exposed to it, they would not know the potential and opportunities that exist in that specific field.”