Stakeholders in Ghana’s ICT sector have challenged young girls in the 2026 Girls in ICT programme to harness AI and emerging technologies to solve societal challenges.

The call was made on September 7 at the opening of the 2026 Girls in ICT Open Day, which brought together 100 outstanding participants from participating regions for skills development, mentorship and exposure to Ghana’s technology ecosystem.

Director-General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE), Dr Ing. Afari Yeboah, said the event was both a celebration of the girls’ achievements and a platform to prepare them for roles in Ghana’s digital transformation.

He said the themes of the 2025 and 2026 initiatives—“Girls in ICT for Inclusive Digital Transformation” and “AI for Development, Girls Shaping the Digital Future”—reflected the growing influence of technology on society.

“Digital transformation can only be meaningful when the young ladies here have the opportunities not only to access technology but also to acquire the skills, confidence and opportunities needed to create and shape it,” Dr Yeboah said.

He highlighted opportunities for AI applications in education, agriculture, healthcare, business, finance and public services, while cautioning the girls to consider privacy, cybersecurity, misinformation, fairness and bias when developing technology-driven solutions.

“As future technology leaders, we must champion the ethical and responsible use of AI and digital technologies,” he said, urging the participants to become ambassadors for other young women seeking careers in technology.

Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George described the initiative as a national investment rather than simply a training programme, noting the continued underrepresentation of women in AI, cybersecurity, software engineering and data science.

“Do not let anyone convince you that technology will be reserved for other people,” the Minister told the girls, encouraging them to envision themselves as future software developers, AI researchers, cybersecurity experts and national technology leaders.

He also challenged the participants to apply their skills to real-world problems. “I urge you all to believe in yourselves, be bold enough to dream, be disciplined enough to work hard, be courageous enough to embrace challenges,” he said, urging them to use technology to solve problems, improve lives and contribute to Ghana’s development.