Young women have been urged to move beyond being consumers of technology and actively participate in its creation, production and development to ensure that emerging technologies respond to their needs and interests.
They have also been encouraged to take up leadership positions and occupy spaces traditionally considered male-dominated, stating that women have acquired the education, skills and capacity needed to contribute meaningfully to national development and should therefore no longer wait to be invited to decision-making spaces.
The Director of General Administration and Consular Services at the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), Dr Obaapanin Oforiwaa Adu, who made the call, stressed that the coming decade would be increasingly dominated by digital technologies and urged young women not to remain mere users of technological products but challenged them to acquire digital skills and participate in the design, manufacturing and production of technologies.
“Grab your seat in the boardroom, in the policymaking room and at the executive management level. Make sure your voice is also heard,” she said.
Dr Adu was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 6th Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) Association (CAMA) Summit in Accra, on the theme “Rooted in Lived Experience: Shaping the Future”.
The summit brought together more than 100 young women from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Malawi,Tanzania, Zambia to celebrate and empower young women beneficiaries of the CAMFED scholarship programme.
Digital future
Dr Adu commended CAMFED for going beyond providing educational opportunities to young women to creating a community of beneficiaries who continued to give back to their communities and contribute to national development.
She said the beneficiaries represented a pool of educated and empowered young women who could make a significant difference if they took advantage of opportunities available to them.
She challenged them to change the perception that women are their own enemies, and instead embrace the belief that women are their own friends.
She urged women who attained positions of authority to create opportunities for others coming behind them, while encouraging successful women to recommend others for opportunities, share their experiences and help create pathways for other women to succeed.
“When you get there, turn back and see who is behind you. Don’t get there and forget about those behind you,” she said.
Dr Adu also urged the young women to use the media positively to tell their stories and project the contributions of African women to society.
She further advised them not to allow gender stereotypes, discrimination or other challenges to discourage them from pursuing their ambitions, stating that the world was highly competitive and women needed to distinguish themselves through hard work, competence and high standards.
Share experiences
The Executive Director of CAMFED Ghana, Fairuza Abdul-Rashid Safian, said the 2026 CAMA Summit provided an opportunity for members from across CAMFED’s consortium countries to reflect on their experiences and strategise for the future.
She said discussions would focus on CAMA’s identity and positioning, enterprise and resilience, future economies, movement renewal, policy, systems change and strategic partnerships.
She added that the summit would also provide an opportunity for members to engage with Ghana’s Ministry of Education on inclusive education, particularly girls’ education and the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
She expressed optimism that the deliberations would strengthen CAMA as a platform for leadership, activism and support for young women across Africa.
