ELECTRONIC giant Samsung is growing young girls’ capacity in ICT skills in Accra, Ghana through its annual employee volunteer programme. Forty employees from Samsung’s headquarters in South Korea have gathered in Accra to take part in the company’s week-long initiative, which has been carried out in partnership with Better World.
‘It’s important for our people to be actively involved with the education initiatives we are rolling out across Africa. Not only are they able to impart considerable value through their time and expertise but it also provides them with the opportunity to witness first-hand the difference their combined involvement in Samsung is making to the lives of others,’ says Eungjin Nahm, Samsung Electronics West Africa – Ghana.
Both a primary and junior high school, Accra Bishop Girls’ School, has a total of 760 students. Though ICT currently forms part of the school’s curriculum, it has historically been forced to rely on textbooks for educational purposes as a result of its lack of ICT facilities.
Through the new facility, learners will have the opportunity to acquire and enhance technological skills vital to the new digital economy. This is particularly important when it comes to future generations of young women. Based on the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report, there is still a 47 percent global gender gap when it comes to STEM graduates at tertiary level.
‘Samsung is passionate about helping to further the development of STEM and ICT skills among women and we hope that through this initiative and others like it, we will be able to make a positive difference in the lives of many young African women,’ says Tracy Kyei, marketing executive, Samsung Electronics West Africa – Ghana.
The new centre is an extension of the electronics provider’s involvement in the education sector in Ghana.
