GhaWARD Organises Maiden Career Fair For Female SHS Students

The Ghanaian Women in Agricultural Research and Development (GhaWARD) on Friday organised a maiden career fair for female Senior High School (SHS) students in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

The one day programme on the theme 'Shaping the Path for a Brighter Future: My Excellent Future, Life after SHS' was hosted by the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) branch of GhaWARD in Sunyani.

It was attended by 112 students selected from five SHSs across the region to introduce them to various career opportunities in the 'Agricultural Research and Development and other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) domains'.

About 40 others including males who are currently not SHS students participated.

The event also aimed at disabusing the minds of many young ladies on the myth usually held about reading some particular courses in the SHS and their possible career path and further exposed them to the typical life of a female Researcher/Scientist as well as guide them in the journey into tertiary institutions.

A number of female academicians and professionals including Dr. Mrs Mercy Derkyi, national President of GhaWARD and a lecturer at UENR and Reverend Dr. Phyllis Bernice Opare, also lecturer at UENR and GhaWARD member spoke and shared experiences to expose the participants to the life of a woman in Science and Agriculture.

Also as part of the event selected female achievers in the fields of business, the arts and social sciences disciplines were brought on board as role models and mentors to share their success stories with the young ladies.

In an address, Dr. Opare encouraged and psyched young girls that each of them had unique talent, innate quality, the natural capacity and the potential to be an achiever and a great person.

She however, observed sometimes most young females were unable to pursue the STEM disciplines and professions because they lacked self-confidence which is the key element required in addition to hard work and determination to succeed.

Dr. Opare therefore sensitised young female SHS students, saying 'each of you can be successful and great in any of the STEM fields' but primarily you must seek the right help to choose the career paths best suited for them.

Dr. Mrs. Derkyi later in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said the event, designed to be an annual affair was part of activities by GhaWARD to achieve its vision statement which is 'to empower women in the agricultural sector through agricultural and agriculture-related programmes.

The programmes include 'leadership, entrepreneurship and technical skills towards national food security and improved livelihoods', she added.

The GhaWARD President explained the Sunyani event was the first of three earmarked for the northern sector-Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

The second event would be held in Kumasi on Friday, July 13, 2018 while the third one is slated for Friday, July 27, 2018 in Tamale, Dr. Mrs Derkyi said.

She indicated that of the Southern sector - Greater Accra, Eastern, Central, Western and Volta Regions would be held on Monday July 2, 2018 from 09:30 hours at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) conference room, University of Ghana.

GNA
By Jeffrey Tamakloe, GNA