This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on May 22, 2017.
Stakeholders from government, telecommunications industry, academia, civil society organisations, media and the general public will on Wednesday, May 24, 2017 converge at Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT in Accra at 9am to deliberate on the way forward in closing the digital gender gap in Ghana.
The forum themed, Promoting and Protecting Women’s Rights Online – The Role of Stakeholders, follows a Report on Women’s Rights Online in Ghana developed by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Web Foundation. The Report highlights the performance of Ghana in bridging the digital gender gap with specific recommendations for various stakeholders.
Target eight of Sustainable Development Goal 5 calls for the “use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology [ICT], to promote the empowerment of women.” In spite of this global goal, Ghana scored 30 percent in the areas of internet access, digital skills, affordability, relevant content and online safety in the Report on Women’s Rights Online in Ghana.
The stakeholders’ forum will, therefore, seek to address how the challenges identified in the areas of internet access, digital skills, affordability, relevant content and online safety can be overcome through the support and collaboration of government and other stakeholders.
The forum will be addressed by the Minister of Communication, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekufful, and the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon Gifty Twum Ampofo.
The Stakeholders’ Forum on Women’s Rights Online in Ghana is being organised by the MFWA with funding support from the Web Foundation.
