The Women in Engineering (WIE) wing of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana (IET-GH), has paid a courtesy call on the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, at her office in Accra to discuss issues, including the promotion of girls education.

Led by its Chairperson, Adjoa Agyinba T. Gyamera, the delegation congratulated Prof. Opoku-Agyemang on her historic ascent to the nation’s second-highest office.

Among other things, they discussed potential collaborations to promote Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as technical vocational education and training (TVET) education among young girls.

Appreciation

Speaking at the meeting, Mrs Gyamera expressed her appreciation for the vice president’s trailblazing achievements, emphasising that her success served as an inspiration to young girls across the country.

She highlighted IET-WIE’s flagship mentorship programme, "Catch Them Young," which engages girls in basic and senior high schools to spark interest in STEM/TVET careers. 

Additionally, she noted that IET-GH provided scholarships for brilliant but underprivileged girls pursuing tertiary education and appealed for support from the vice president’s office to expand these initiatives.

In response, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended IET-WIE for their dedication to advancing STEM education.

She underscored the importance of making science and mathematics more accessible by refining teaching methodologies and incorporating local languages in instruction.

Drawing inspiration from countries like Japan, China and Malaysia—where native languages play a vital role in STEM education—she advocated for a similar approach in Ghana.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang further highlighted the need to recognise the engineering principles embedded in everyday activities such as fish smoking, soap-making and biodegradable plastic production.

By linking STEM concepts to practical, real-life applications, she believed young learners will find science and technology more relatable and engaging.

The Vice President also encouraged IET-WIE to actively participate in the upcoming National Apprenticeship Programme, a key initiative proposed by President John Mahama.

She reaffirmed her full support for WIE’s mentorship and scholarship programmes and accepted an invitation to serve as a Special Guest Speaker at the IET-WIE International Conference scheduled for October.