The Paris-based International Organisation, the Nuclear Agency (NEA), has organised the maiden international mentorship workshop to encourage Senior High School (SHS) girls to develop interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
It is the first in sub-Saharan Africa and the 21st in the world.
Some 46 SHS girls were selected from 17 public and three private schools across seven regions of the country for the engagement.
It was on the theme, “Inspiring young females in STEM careers for a better tomorrow”.
A statement signed by Professor Seth Kofi Debrah, the Director of Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (NPI-GAEC) and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said international and local technical and policy makers engaged the girls.
It said the event sought to contribute to addressing the under-representation of women in the field of STEM, especially in the nuclear energy sector, and to enhance female leadership and visibility in the sector.
The statement quoted Ms Aleshia Duncan, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation of the U.S. Department of Energy, as saying: “Be strong, make bold choices for your life, and accomplish the task at hand…Giving up is not an option”.
Ms Duncan, who is also the Chairperson for the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC), encouraged them to be change agents and to lead the transformation agenda for a better society.
Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare, the Director-General of GAEC, called for an inclusive and equitable education system especially for girls, to pursue STEM.
He advised the participants to draw inspiration from Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, the first female chemist to win the Nobel Prize in 1903 and the only one to win it twice for her groundbreaking studies on radioactivity that shaped the very foundations and concepts of nuclear science.
“Back home, we can talk of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, a professor of literature; Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, a phytochemist; and Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, who were or are the first female vice-chancellors of leading universities in Ghana,” he said.
“You can achieve anything in life once you are dedicated to your studies, work hard, persevere, focus, and diligent. Also, make good use of the limited resources available and aim to give it your best shot,” Prof. Dampare added.
Mr. William D. Magwood IV, the Director-General of NEA, said Africa must embrace good use of nuclear technology to enable its growing youth population, especially the girls, to harness the potential to grow.
“This is planting seeds for the future. It is cultivating women’s future roles in fields like energy, engineering, healthcare, and other fields where nuclear technology is important. If you believe in the future, you must believe in programmes like this because these girls are the future,” he said.
GNA
