100 Teachers Trained in Ho to Mentor 1,000 Girls in ICT

• 100 teachers across 18 districts in the Volta Region have receivef ICT training to mentor 1,000 girls
• The initiative targets the digital gender divide, equipping girls with skills in coding, web development, and cybersecurity
• ITU data shows 250 million more men than women online globally. Ghana aims to change that, one classroom at a time

In a practical step toward bridging Ghana’s digital gender gap, 100 teachers from 18 districts across the Volta Region began a week-long intensive training in Ho.

The initiative, part of the National Girls-in-ICT programme, seeks to empower teachers with hands-on ICT skills to mentor 1,000 girls in their respective communities.

The training covers web development, cybersecurity, coding, animation, and general ICT literacy, skills that many students, especially girls in rural areas, have little or no exposure to technology..

“This is more than a workshop. It’s a call to arms,” said Mr. Austin Hessin, Director of Policy, Planning, Budget, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations.

He cited the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report. The report disclosed a global gap of 250 million more men online than women, with Ghanaian girls among the most digitally excluded.

Structural inequality hinders Ghana’s digital divide

Although government and donor support have backed this year’s programme, some stakeholders say long-term success requires more than just one-off training events.

“We can’t just train and disappear. Teachers need resources and schools need labs if we want these girls to thrive,” said a local ICT teacher from Keta District attending the launch.

Volta Regional Director of Education, Mr. Francis Yao Agbemadi, echoed this concern:

“Confidence and consistency are key. Girls need role models who understand the tools, the barriers, and how to overcome both,” he said.

A generation at risk exclusion

The urgency of the programme lies in its context: many girls in Ghana still lack access to basic digital infrastructure.

Cost, cultural biases, and lack of localized content have kept digital literacy rates low, especially among young women in rural areas.

“We must not build a future where girls are mere users of tech; they must become creators. And that starts with how we train our teachers today," Mr. Augustus Awity, Chief Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council stated.

The Ministry said that to date, over 14,981 girls and 1,192 teachers have been trained under the initiative, with this latest batch expected to significantly expand outreach in the Volta Region.

Teachers, not tech, are the real investment

Backed by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (KACE), the workshop is facilitated by field experts and focuses as much on pedagogy as on digital tools.

Funding and logistics were provided by private partners MTN Ghana and American Tower Corporation, though community leaders stress the need for consistent public investment to sustain momentum.

"The tech may evolve, but it is the trained teacher who can transform lives—one classroom at a time," one of the facilitators said.

Can Ghana scale beyond pilot projects?

As the digital economy becomes central to national development, initiatives like Girls-in-ICT are increasingly viewed not as charity but as a necessity. Yet the question remains:

Will these trained teachers be supported long-term, or left to carry the burden alone?

For now, the 100 educators in Ho are ready to mentor, motivate, and mobilize, one girl at a time.

Teacher travels with students to learn ICT

In a related development, YEN.com.gh spotlighted the story of Sandra Afia Boadi, a dedicated public school teacher from the Bia West District in the Western North Region

The dedicated teacher personally funded a trip for her students to another district just so they could experience using computers for the first time.

Despite ICT being part of their curriculum, her school lacked basic facilities, including computers, electricity, or internet access.

Source: YEN.com.gh