The competition was opened to female students in tertiary institutions in Ghana, and required participants to submit essays of not more than 1500 words on the topic, “How can technology be used to empower and create equal opportunities for young women.”

It was run from February 23 to March 2, 2023, and the top three winners would receive prizes, including laptops, MiFi devices, and data subscriptions.

The winners would be announced and awarded on the International Women’s Day (IWD), March 8.
A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said AHOY would host radio discussions on the IWD on the theme: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”

It said discussions would bring together SRC Women’s Commissioners and campus-based gender groups and would run through selected Accra-based radio stations.

The statement said AHOY would also organise a ‘Twitter Space’ live discussion on “the dangers women face in the digital space, particularly online gender-based violence.”

The event would be hosted on @ahoyafrica Twitter Space on Tuesday, March 7, at 1900 hours and would feature panellists such as Genevieve Partington, the Country Director for Amnesty International, Jennifer De-Graft Ninson, the Social Inclusion Lead for AHOY, and Thelma Hayford, the Gender Adviser for Oxfam Ghana as moderator.

“Overall, AHOY’s activities aim to celebrate International Women’s Day by promoting gender equality and empowering women through technology,” it stated.

AHOY is a call to action to engage, develop, and empower young Africans to build ‘the Africa we want’ in the social, economic, and political spheres of life.

Based in Accra, Ghana – but with a continental focus – its core principles are active advocacy; holistic development; optimistic outlook; and youth-inspired work in Africa.