[ 2021-02-22 ]

Practice and role-modelling are essential for STEM success - Vodafone CEO
Mrs Patricia Obo-Nai, the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Vodafone Ghana, has urged girls involved
in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) to avail themselves for
regular internship opportunities.








They are also to identify professional role models
in order to gain maximum value from their
education to attain career success.

Mrs Obo-Nai, in a statement copied to the Ghana
News Agency, said the study of STEM without a
hands-on experience such as internships was
meaningless, and that regular practice as well as
appropriate guidance and mentorship were
pre-requisites for successful STEM careers.

“While learning STEM, try to connect the
classroom to the practical world in order to place
your learnings into a real-world context.
Personally, by being curious and taking a keen
interest in internships, I learnt a lot while in
school” she said.

Madam Patricia Obo-Nai gave the advice at a
mentorship programme organised by Vodafone Ghana
and the Vodafone Ghana Foundation for women and
girls in Tech and ICT from selected schools in
Accra.

The programme also formed part of the Vodafone
Ghana Foundation’s monthly ‘Birthday Stars’
project which seeks to execute monthly CSR
projects tied to employees’ birthday
celebrations.

The choice of Birthday Stars activity is also
designed to coincide with international days that
mark specific United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable
Development Goals within each month.

Consequently, the event for February 2021 focused
on celebrating the ‘International Day of Women
and Girls in Science’.

During her pep-talk with the event participants,
the CEO added that, it was important for STEM
students to have shadow role models.

“For you to thrive in the area of STEM, there is
the need for you to follow and observe a
professional who works in your field of interest.
It is one of the ways you can also gain more
knowledge on what is required of you on your
career path.

“So, as you use your time to glean insights into
careers you may be interested in pursuing, I also
encourage that you find a role model, whose
experiences and mistakes you can learn from,”
she said.

Mrs Obo-Nai also reiterated that Vodafone Ghana
would continue to be at the forefront of
empowering women in STEM.

“At Vodafone Ghana, we are deliberate about
creating space for women to participate in STEM
programmes with a view towards changing the usual
narrative and dynamics. We always try to bring in
women from various Universities to do internships
and join our engineering team to learn”.

Mr Amaris Perbi, the Vodafone Ghana Foundation
Lead, buttressed Patricia’s assertion by
enumerating a number of STEM-related women
empowerment initiatives that the Foundation was
currently championing, including; the annual STEM
Girls Camp and Female Engineering Student
Sponsorship Programme (FESSP).

He reiterated that these interventions among
others would enable women to have equal access to
STEM programmes and further advance the cause of
gender equality.

The programme hosted women and girls in Tech and
ICT from Accra Technical University, Koforidua
Technical School, GIMPA, University of Ghana,
UPSA, St. John’s Grammar School, and Lancaster
University.

Aside interacting with the CEO of Vodafone and
other successful women in STEM, the participants
also received specialised training in Coding,
Robotics and Web Development.

Source - GNA

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