First Lady launches ‘Girls Can Code’ Project

First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, 17th January 2018, launched a project dubbed “Girls Can Code” in Accra.

The project is meant to train about three hundred girls between the ages of 11 -14 from ten Junior High Schools across the country. This is to develop and strengthen their skills and knowledge in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and spark their interest in the field.

Launching the project, the First Lady, encouraged the girls to utilize the training because it will be a vehicle to improve the economic outlook of women and help bridge the gender gap in such fields. She added that it is important for women to understand the value of the internet and use it as a resource for empowerment, restoration, self-development and also sharpening their skills in the knowledge economy.

She expressed her delight in the quest to train more girls, saying it will develop them to be critical thinkers and creators of technology and inspire them to develop and live to their full potential. The First Lady added, that even though there is a wide market for coders and developers in the country, it is challenging when it comes to girls.

The launch of the project was done in collaboration with the Ministries of Education, Communication, and Gender and Social Protection. The initiative and its launch was supported by DreamOval Foundation, UNESCO-IFAP, GES, HACSA and the Ghana- India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT.