The Ghanaian government has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering opportunities for young women in the technology sector.
The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation announced plans to leverage its platforms to identify and nurture emerging talent among young women in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field.
At the Ms Geek Ghana event, an initiative aimed at showcasing young women’s talents in ICT, Minister of Communication and Digitalisation Ursula Owusu-Ekuful highlighted the significance of the competition.
“I’m pleased we have even a 12-year-old among the finalists, surpassing the usual age range.
Today, we celebrate not only a contest but a movement that challenges norms and empowers women to engage actively in technology,” Owusu-Ekuful said.
She emphasized that the initiative supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
The Ms Geek competition, which began as Ms Geek Rwanda in 2014 and was rebranded as Miss Geek Africa in 2017, aims to inspire young girls aged 13 to 21 to develop technological solutions to socio-economic issues.
Ghana has participated in the competition twice, securing first and second places in Africa.
In 2023, Ghana’s representative, Selasie Domi-Kuwornu, won the title of Miss Geek Africa with her ICT solution, Kasa-Cash, which was designed to enable underserved and physically challenged individuals to conduct financial transactions independently.
This year, 66 applications were submitted across Ghana, with 15 top solutions selected.
These finalists participated in a residential master class from July 29 to August 2, 2024.
Following the master class, the top 10 projects were chosen, addressing issues ranging from environmental sustainability to healthcare digitization and agricultural management.
