Cameroon, Plan International give girls a digital boost

Cameroon’s ministry of posts and telecommunications, Plan International and mobile operators this week celebrated girls in tech, encouraging them to embrace information and communication technologies for the economic development.

The ministry urged telecom providers, including Camtel, MTN, Yoomee, and ZTE to help the country beef up its technical capacity, which it says will in turn spur digital economy.

This, as the International Telecommunication Union last week issued a worldwide appeal calling to increase the value of pledges for digitalising the world from the current $30 billion to $100 billion by 2026.

In Cameroon, the girls in tech were honoured in the capital Yaounde at an event observing the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is observed annually to mark the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and ITU's founding in 1865.

In Cameroon, the event was under the theme: “Empowering the least developed countries through information and communication technologies.”

To support the girls embrace digital evolution economy, stakeholders pledged to empower them with digital skills development.

Plan International, which works to advance children’s rights and equality for girls, said: “It remains committed alongside its partners to advocate for girls’ equitable access to ICTs.”

Mohamadou Saoudi, secretary general, ministry of posts and telecommunications, commented: “We think it is very important to create awareness on the advantages that are behind telecoms and ICT sectors, and at the same it is also important to create awareness on the dangers and on the responsible use of the ICTs in general.”