As part of efforts to help young girls realize their potential and break down stereotypes about women in STEM fields, Academic City University College has partnered with Vodafone Ghana Foundation to offer a three-day training for 50 girls in STEM and plastic waste recycling.
The girls received training in a variety of subjects, including programming, electronics, and the Internet of Things, 3D design and printing, artificial intelligence, and recycling plastic bottles, pure water sachets, vehicle tires, among others.
In the course of the three-day workshop, the young ladies developed an interest in collaborative problem solving and were challenged to come up with innovative, long-term solutions to environmental problems that made use of plastic waste as well as cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
It brought together participants from a variety of backgrounds, including university and senior high school students, physically challenged individuals, school dropouts, vocational students, and professionals, among other groups.
Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, Tracy ‘Sarkcess’ Owusu Addo, and Kobby Kyei, were among the special guests who attended the ceremony.
The event is part of festivities commemorating Global Recycling Day, which aims to raise awareness and highlight the critical role of recycling in maintaining Ghana’s priceless natural resources and ensuring the planet’s long-term viability.
Speaking at the event, Dr Lucy Agyepong, Dean of Engineering at Academic City remarked “We were privileged when Vodafone Ghana Foundation approached us to partner this programme. We were very happy to make our facilities available to these young girls to get a practical hands-on experience and build things from recyclable materials for three days. This is because we are a strong advocator of everything green and this initiative is very much similar to how we teach here in Academic City.”
According to her, such initiative is critical to ensure that our society benefits from the talents and skills of all members of the population and not just men.
“If we cannot accept that society must work harder to encourage and motivate girls and women to pursue careers in STEM fields, we will have squandered the brainpower of more than half of the world’s population. And, as you are probably aware, women account for more than half of the world’s population,” she further noted.
Country Lead for Vodafone Ghana Foundation, Amaris Nana Adjei Perbi, said “To conclude our March born birthday Stars project and celebrate International Women’s Month and Global Recycling Month, we gathered 50 girls from diverse backgrounds to teach them STEM-related activities and recycling projects. This productive program has enabled them to build things they could not have imagined. They invented 3D printing of products and recycled waste materials to build dustbins, washbasins, and other items.”.
“Aside from the 3-day training prior to the creative and recycling challenge, we are guiding them to start their own businesses to profit from their incredible creations. That this initiative has enabled young girls, especially dropouts, to create their own materials is wonderful. We are thrilled to coach them and help them achieve their goals in society,” he added.
