ICT Ministry puts girls in the spotlight

Students watch a demonstration during the Girls in ICT fair. (photo Farouk Kaweesi)

It is a myth that women cannot excel in ICT, a field that has so far been dominated by men. This was proven as the ministry of youth and ICT (MYICT) on Thursday marked Girls in ICT day with the ‘Girls in ICT Career Fair.’
Held at Lycée Notre Dame de Citeaux, the event that attracted five girls’ secondary schools (Riviera High School, New Vision High School, Lycee de Kigali and Gashora Girls High School and the host school) was aimed at showcasing women’s achievements in ICT.
The Women in ICT group was formed to encourage women and girls to venture into ICT. For one to be a member, they must be in ICT at any level including being a student of the same.
The career fair enabled different public and private sector institutions, higher institutions of learning as well as high schools to showcase their work in ICT-related fields to students. Among the companies were Bank of Kigali, Tigo, Akilah Institute of Women, among others.
A panel of women representatives comprised of engineers from ICT sectors of big private companies like MTN, RDB, and RwandAir highlighted the use of ICT in transforming lives.
Also present was Esther Mbabazi, Rwanda’s first female pilot. Mbabazi who is among the six RwandAir pilots encouraged students to join aviation, and now flies regional routes to Nairobi and Congo.