{
  "id": 12358373,
  "title": "150 women acquire digital, coding skills under African Girls Can Code Initiative",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/150-women-acquire-digital-coding-skills-under-african-girls-can-code",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-06T10:19:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/150-women-acquire-digital-coding-skills-under-african-girls-can-code-initiative/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "150 women from the Ashanti, Central, and Western Regions of Ghana have recently completed the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), acquiring crucial digital and coding skills. AGCCI, a partnership between the Government of Ghana and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), aims to close the digital gender gap and empower women to utilize technology for business development, employability, and career growth. The graduation ceremony in Kumasi was a celebration of the achievements of the trainees, many of whom work in fashion design, catering, hairdressing, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and engineering.\n\nWhile Ghana has made significant progress in promoting digital inclusion, such as through the Girls-in-ICT program for basic school girls, there remains a significant gap for adult women in the informal sector and tertiary institutions who need digital skills to enhance their work. This gap is precisely what the AGCCI seeks to address. The program provides intensive, hands-on training in various areas, such as computer programming and coding, data analytics, cybersecurity awareness, digital safety, graphic design, website development, and digital marketing and e-commerce.\n\nMr. Sofo Tanko Rashid, Administrator of GIFEC, highlighted that this initiative represents a strategic shift from the existing Girls-in-ICT program tailored for young girls, focusing instead on women already engaged in vocational activities, entrepreneurship, and tertiary education. He emphasized that many women possess business ideas but lack the digital tools necessary to scale their enterprises. Mr. Rashid assured that GIFEC is committed to ensuring inclusivity in Ghana's digitalization agenda, particularly for women and girls in underserved communities with limited access to digital tools and internet connectivity.\n\nBeneficiaries have found the training transformative and immediately applicable to their work. They have learned to design business logos, create websites, run targeted advertisements on social media platforms, and manage customer orders and payments using digital tools. One beneficiary expressed that the program has demystified the notion that technology is only for men. The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to the government and GIFEC and urged for the sustainability of the programme by integrating it into the formal curriculum for vocational and technical institutions, ensuring it becomes an annual event to sustain the impact.",
  "summary": "In a major boost for women's participation in Ghana's digital economy, 150 women from the Ashanti, Central and Western Regions have successfully acquired digital and coding skills under the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI).",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}