Let's Help Children Advance Their Tech Knowledge--Tech-For-All Conference Advocates

A platform to boost ICT education among children dubbed 'Tech-For-All Conference' organised by TEC KONSULT is advocating for critical Information Communications Technology (ICT) development and inclusion among children.

This maiden edition of the conference gathered together those who matter in the Technology space to advocate and inspire and further push for the use of technology across all sectors.

The event was also organised in partnership with Timeline Multimedia (A multimedia hub which is into TV Series, Movies, Music, TV Presenting, Radio, Media Academy Training, etc The main event was attended by Senior students in Tech as well as Tech professionals, Media, and the general public.

This is an all-inclusive Tech Event that brings various stakeholders together including developers to the lowest user, to create a common platform for networking and advancing discussions about ICT.

The event focused on, Science, Technology, Tech Recruitment, Tech - Entrepreneurship and Networking. It was divided into five (5) different stakeholder groups.

The event was also used to hold various tech drills and competitions for the children.

50 participants from 25 different schools at Primary and JHS Levels participated in the event and were thought

coding software. Participants included Some the SOS, Christ The King School, University Basic School-Legon, St Theresa, Golden Sunbeam among others.

All participants were put into four groups namely, Silicon, Coders, Wiki and Falcon. Two of the top participants in each group were put together to competition group to group, they answered general code questions in round one and in round two they were tested on their practical code skills by writing software for a retail shop. Silicon Group emerged as the winner.

The two participants who represented Silicon had to finally compete for the grand award.

Zeenat Zita D. Yirenkyi is a believer that technology has a critical role to play if Ghana needs to catch up with the rest of the world.

"Every adult engineer was a child, it's therefore key to introduce Science and Tech (STEM) to kids early to trigger their interest. A pre-school was selected for a science and robotics practical session. We also had a nice time telling the kids stories about STEM Inventors Primary/Basic Level Session.

...Some kids at this level had already started code school. Students from various schools came together for a Tech training session, after which there was a competition to select the top Tech student and award him/her as winner This session was held at the Ghana - Korea Information Access Center Legon," she revealed.

It was a great display of intelligence and emotions. The winner was Andy Debrah, 13 years of age, a super coder from Falsyd Foundation School. He shed uncontrollable tears whiles he was being awarded as the ultimate prize.

For his prize, he was presented with a Plague, Sash, Cash Price, a day at the Spa, Mentoring sessions at AirtelTigo Business.

Other prizes he received were Gifts from AirtelTigo Business, a tour at the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence (ICT Centre), a One-week internship with Quest Systems, a visit to the office of the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

The Entrepreneurial Level Session

This session was targeted at business owners. They were trained in useful apps and how to scale up their business using Technology. This session was done in partnership with MWEL (Muslim Women Entrepreneurs and Leaders). Over 30 Start-up Entrepreneurs, CEO's and potential Entrepreneurs participated.

Among discussions were Critical startup topics, Technology to help scale-up businesses and crises management in businesses especially during tough times Market Traders Engagement Session – Spoke to Market Queens and Kings and motivated them to engage their kids who have smartphones to help them sell some of the goods online

There was a panel of seasoned consultants who gave a talk and also answered questions. The talk was centered on choosing the right Tech course, Scholarships for Tech education, the Tech job market, Tech- Entrepreneurship.

Participants got the opportunity to discuss their school or business projects one on one with our panelist. There was a networking session as well.