She said that would help position young women to fully harness their potential in collaboration with their male colleagues to promote national development and make Ghana a frontrunner in STEM education in Africa.

The First Lady said this during her visit to the African Science Academy (ASA) - a girl-only STEM-focused academic institution in Tema.

Her visit was marked with several activities, including a tour of the Academy's facilities, a demonstration of students' projects in robotics, and interactions with the First Lady.

"By cultivating more spaces like the African Science Academy, we are laying the foundation for dreams, innovation and solutions to position Ghana as a leader in STEM education in Africa," the First Lady said.

She lauded the Academy for its exploits in STEM education, and the pursuit to expand its facility into a 200-student campus at Akuse, Eastern Region.

She noted that the project resonated deeply with her hopes that educational opportunities must be accessible to every child irrespective of background.

"This is evidence of the prospect of women in Science and Mathematics in Ghana and shows what can be achieved when we invest in our youth, particularly young women,Mrs Akufo- Addo said.

She also said the Academy was a testament to the successful partnership between public and private organisations in the provision of educational opportunities for young women.

She called for support for the African Gifted Foundation - the mother body of the Academyin providing a world-class STEM education - all on full scholarships.

Dr Thomas Segun Illube, Founder of ASA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the event, said the expansion of the Academy would help empower young women to excel in STEM.

He said the expansion project of the Academy at Akuse would enable the Academy to admit more students as it received more than 1,000 applications across Africa.

The Academy, he said, had contributed to the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in Ghana through the organisation of capacity-building master classes for Mathematics teachers of second- cycle institutions.

The initiative, he explained, had trained about 400 Mathematics teachers across the country in ASA's approach to teaching mathematics.

The African Science Academy is a girl-only STEM-focused academy in Tema that seeks academically gifted girls from lower-income backgrounds across the continent, who are developed to be Africa's STEM leaders.

The Academy also serves as a platform for promoting a Pan-African model of education and serves as a networking platform for young women across the continent.