MainOne, the leading network solutions company in West Africa, is supporting efforts at inspiring, educating, and equipping Ghanaian girls with the computing skills needed to close the gender gap in technology. The company recently threw its weight behind Tech Needs Girls’ Interactive Workshop, a programme for girls in senior secondary schools, which provides them the platform to learn to develop mobile and web applications, interact with software, and be mentored by female technologists.

Speaking during the event in Accra this week, MainOne’s Sales Manager, Ghana, Michael Kwamena-Poh highlighted the under-representation of women in technology, and called for concerted activities to improve inclusion of women in the technology industry, especially in Ghana.

“To even the imbalance against women in technology, there is urgent need for initiatives aimed at engaging, inspiring and empowering women and girls in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. We believe training workshops such as Tech Needs Girls will provide Ghanaian girls the foundational skills, experience, and networks required for higher education and future career opportunities”, Kwamena-Poh said.

Tech Needs Girls is a movement that celebrates the girl child and encourages school students from the ages of 6-18 to study ICT related courses, in order to improve representation of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Organized by Soronko Solutions, this mentorship programme is run by young female role models including computer scientists and engineers committed to teaching girls to code and innovate in ICT. It currently runs workshops in 5 regions in Ghana and has trained 2065 girls.

In her comments, Chief Executive Officer of Soronko Solutions, Regina Agyare, highlighted the opportunities the industry offers women in making meaningful contributions to society through relevant, cutting-edge innovative solutions and thanked the MainOne for its support of the Workshop.