Gender equality and technological advancement are intrinsically intertwined. Men are 21% more likely than women to obtain digital skills, a figure that rises to 52% in low-income countries like Ghana.
According to the Web Foundation, the constraints that account for this include, among other things, insufficient digital skills and restricted societal standards.
As part of its efforts to honour International Women’s Day, OpenLabs Ghana, a reputable IT training institution and consultancy firm, has revealed many strategies and support systems that it is giving to expedite efforts to bridge Ghana’s digital gender barrier. These strategies, according to Mrs. Joana Abbiw, General Manager – Sales and Marketing, OpenLabs, focus on the five pillars of the digital economy: digital financial services, digital public platforms, digital infrastructure, digital businesses, and digital commerce.
On the component of digital businesses; OpenLabs Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) aims to provide hands-on, business, and entrepreneurial mindset training, access to business networks, peer support, and mentoring of students, with special attention to women entrepreneurs. The digital financial services, fall under the YEI financial component where 10 females are supported with finance to undergo 6 months of programming training for free.
The beneficiaries will be supported to secure gainful employment after the completion of their programmes. Plans are progressing in a bid to scale up this initiative to cover more women.
In addition, girls are supported in digital commerce, including the creation of websites as well as digital marketing skills to promote their businesses. Miss Marian Modukpe Cole, a student, and model who had assistance in building her modelling website, expresses excitement for the opportunity.
“Before joining this course, I thought IT was difficult and out of female abilities, but with the support of my trainers and OpenLabs resources, I got it easy, and I’ve been able to build my website, now I can receive bookings online,” she says.
OpenLabs also delivers a user-friendly digital infrastructure and digital public platforms, with a focus on females. This includes online learning systems that allow students and professionals to enroll online and study from home with the help of experts.
Mrs. Joana Abbiw, who is very passionate about closing the gender gap in technology, is asking for help from parents and stakeholders in order to increase girls’ engagement in digital skills.
She believes that OpenLabs can only provide the necessary facilities and resources and cannot decide who should enrol their daughters in digital programs.
She especially encourages parents to enrol their girls in IT programs and calls on Civil Society Organizations, Development Partners like GIZ, and other corporations to invest in girl-child digital development.
“Together, we will close the gender gap in digital skills,” she says.