She made the remarks while delivering her keynote address at the launch of the Seats For Ladies In Stem (S4LIS) Initiative, by the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications.
The Minister expressed her utmost support for the S4LIS scheme and encouraged young ladies across the country to register on the website of the initiative www.s4lis.com to enjoy the benefits the initiative has to offer.
“It’s a real pleasure to be part of the launch of this laudable initiative (Seats For Ladies In STEM). And I thank the Chamber for putting it together and partnering with us to further close the gender gap within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ecosystem in Ghana.”
“I would urge all students and other young women to register on www.s4lis.com to join in efforts aimed at building more women in the field of STEM,” she added.
According to the her, getting more women to play an active role in the field of STEM is critical to the sustainable development of Ghana and the rest of Africa.
“We can’t continue to develop when a better part of our population, our women are not empowered to contribute to the development agenda. It is incumbent on all of us to work together to ensure that the women and men in our society work together to propel Ghana forward.”
She also called for the development of more female role models in STEM. This she said would go a long way to encourage more young ladies to venture into the field.
“We need to encourage our young people and give them role models of female achievers who are successfully holding on to careers in cutting edge technologies and maintaining their families as well. As a woman you can have it all. You can have a fulfilling career to go along with a thriving marriage, it doesn’t have to be an either-or situation where women have to choose.”
Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful meanwhile commended the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and its members for carrying out initiatives in the past to educate and equip young ladies with ICT skills. The Minister was the first person to sign the commitment to S4LIS on behalf of her Ministry
According to her, it is even better that the Chamber is focusing on a more concerted effort to ensure that in the next 5 years we achieve near parity when it comes to the gender distribution in the field of STEM with its Seats For Ladies In Stem (S4LIS) Initiative.
About the S4LIS Initiative
The S4LIS Scheme believes that increasing the number of women in STEM is more than just the right thing to do. Educating, training and hiring more women and other underrepresented groups in STEM can also lead to better scientific and financial outcomes.
This is because increasing diversity in the workforce means gaining a variety of perspectives and ideas, which can give organizations a competitive edge. It can also improve scientific and financial outcomes, as well as improve the culture of STEM workplaces.
Ultimately, we need women in STEM because our organizations, innovations and finances are all much better with them involved.
S4LIS seeks to rationalized the notion that giving women equal opportunities to pursue and thrive in STEM careers, helps narrow the gender pay gap, enhances women’s economic security, ensures a diverse and talented STEM workforce and prevents biases in these fields and the products and services they produce.
Objective
To fast-track Africa’s sustainable development through STEM, by increasing the percentage of ladies taking up STEM related jobs from 30% in 2021 to 40% by 2031.
Source: Chamber News Desk
