Huawei Ghana has partnered with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to organise Cybersecurity training for 20,000 Senior High School (SHS) Girls in Ashanti Region.

The partnership is under the first phase of its Seeds for the Future- Women in Tech programme aimed at empowering more women and girls in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

A joint statement issued by the two institutions said the training which was under the Ministry's National Girls-In-ICT programme would engage 11 schools at the Senior High level.

It said it was to equip them on the fundamentals of cybersecurity and enable them to stay safe in the cyber space.

Beneficiary schools for the first phase include Kumasi Wesley Girls SHS, Yaa Asantewaa SHS, St Louis SHS, Serwaa Nyarko Girls, Kumasi Girls, Adventist Girls SHS, St Mary's Girls, Afua Kobi Ampem Girls, St Monica's, TI Ahmadiya and Prince of Peace Girls.

The statement said the second and third phases of the training would take place at the Central and Eastern Regions and it was expected to double the number of beneficiaries.

Mrs Ama Pomaa Boateng, the Deputy Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, said the initiative was part of efforts to continue empowering the youth with the technological skills urgently needed to thrive in the digital era.

She expressed the hope that much enthusiasm would be generated among the girls to enhance ICT education in the country.

Mrs Jenny Zhou, the Director of Public Relations for Huawei Ghana, said Huawei would continue to provide support for initiatives targeted at empowering more females to take up roles in the tech space.

"In the digital era, the most important measure to bridge the digital gender gap is through education. Whether it's college education or social training, we need to give women more opportunities to participate in the digital profession," she said.

The Cybersecurity training, which began October 16, 2021, focused on Information Security, Cyber Bullying and Attacks, Child Online Protection Provisions in the New Cyber Security Act 2020, and tips on how to stay safe online.

The girls were also sensitized on the need to report all cyber-related issues to the National Cyber Security Authority by sending SMS the shortcode 292 for prompt response and assistance.