Tech Needs Girls: Promoting Women participation in technology in Africa

Tech Needs Girls is one of the many initiatives of a celebrated Ghanaian technologist, Regina Honu, which is aimed at increasing African women and girls’ participation in technology.

The software entrepreneur, who previously worked as a banker, recognizes Africa’s gender gap in technology and takes the courageous step of bridging it.

Huno, as reported by Pioneer Post, bemoans the gender divide in the tech business in Ghana, stating that a girl’s worth is determined by her bride price.

“The value of a girl is in her bride price.” “That’s the only value she is bringing to the family,” she told Pioneers Post in an interview.

Honu then founded Tech Needs Girls in 2013 as a movement under her Soronko

Academy to recruit volunteers, particularly female graduates, to teach girls ages 6 to 18 how to code and basic ICT skills. She began the programme in Ashanti Region with the goal of training 50 females in the first year.

The concept was successful in the first year, and it was replicated in eight other regions in the country before expanding to Burkina Faso.

Hunu feels that girls need digital skills because they would help them achieve economic independence in a male dominanted continent.

“Digital skills are in demand and they are top-paying skills that will allow women and girls to have economic independence,” she is quoted by Pioneers Post. “, she is quoted by Pioneers Post. It is important that women and girls are not left behind in the digital revolution.” she added.

According to Regina, the Tech Need Girls initiative has so far trained over 5000 girls in Ghana and Burkina Faso.

In 2014, Tech Needs Girls was among the top companies in Ghana to be awarded at the Company’s Social Responsibility CSR Diary Awards.

By Prince Barak