Nova Impact, a non-profit organisation, has held its second edition of STEMinist Conference to accelerate women’s participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

It forms part of Nova Impact’s broader efforts to equip women with digital and technical skills and position them to contribute meaningfully to the country’s growing digital economy.

The conference, held in Accra on Saturday, March 28, 2026, brought together young women, industry leaders, policymakers, educators and development partners to address the country’s digital gender gap and promote inclusive participation in the digital economy.

As part of the event, 24 participants who successfully completed the STEMinist Data Analytics Fellowship Programme were awarded certificates.

The Executive Director of Nova Impact, Celestina Aiddo, said the initiative sought to empower women and provide them with opportunities to thrive in the STEM field.

She explained that the conference was introduced to address the underrepresentation of women in STEM-related careers and leadership positions.

“Women are very underrepresented when it comes to STEM, but the field has so many opportunities.

If they are given access and the right skills, they are able to partake in it,” she said.

Ms Aiddo added that the organisation created the STEMinist Conference to complement its Ghana Youth Tech Summit after it observed low female participation in that flagship programme.

“We wanted to create a special programme specifically for women to encourage them to take up roles in STEM and also in leadership,” she said.

She expressed the hope that participants would take advantage of the knowledge shared and the networking opportunities available at the conference.

“Your networking will take you far. The people you meet today are the same people who will support you in the coming years,” she said.

Challenges

The Corporate Social Responsibility Team Lead at AmaliTech Ghana, Lois Young, said although more organisations were creating opportunities for women in STEM, challenges still persisted.

She added that while many girls showed interest in science at the senior high school level, a gap often emerged at the tertiary level, where female students struggled to keep pace with their male counterparts.

Ms Young said the challenges faced were due to limited exposure and practical experience, adding that women needed to go beyond classroom learning.

“With classroom learning, it is mostly theoretical.

Women can push themselves through self-learning and exposure to emerging technologies, many of which are available for free,” she said.

Participant

A participant, Freda Erhabor, said the conference had provided her with valuable insights and inspiration to pursue a career in STEM.

“My expectation was to meet industry experts and hear encouraging words from them, and so far, it has been very impactful,” she said.