Stakeholders inspire girls to take up career in ICT

The forum, bankrolled by ACE Communication Executives, was held on Wednesday at Khamsys Training Center in Bijilo.

The event, orgganised in commemoration of ‘International Girls in ICT’ day, attracted female students from various schools, who shared their experiences in technology.

The International Girls in ICT day is an initiative backed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young ladies to consider a career in the growing field of ICT.

Speaking on the occasion, Fatim Badjie, CEO of ACE Communications, said the primary objective of commemorating Girls-in-ITC day was to inspire and motivate more young girls to make up their minds and choose a career in ICT.

“We are hoping that this day will inspire more girls to choose ICT,” Ms Badjie said. “In future, there will be jobs for ICT professionals and it will be excellent to have gender balance in it.”

Ms Badjie, a former communications minister, has this advice:“I would like to suggest that anybody or student who likes to take a career in ICT should take a broad ICT subject at the beginning and later specialise.”

She debunked the misconception that ICT is a difficult area, saying there is need to do away with such perceptions.

Madam Jamilatou Saidy-Faye of PURA, in her remarks, said the ICT sector plays an important role in every facet of development, “even in the life of a regular vegetable seller at the market as he or she can make use of ICT while at the market”.

She said the world is changing and ICT is contributing immensely to peoples’ daily operation.

“So it is important for ladies, especially those attending high school, to know that there are greater potentials in ICT in future so they can consider joining the sector,” Mrs Saidy-Faye said.

Ida Mboob, legal adviser at PURA, said there was a study of 1,000 graduate girls and it was found out that only 29 studied ICT.

She said this shows a global declining trend in girls studying ICT, which makes it relevant for more girls to be encouraged by letting them know the career prospects and opportunities in the technology field.