AIMS Ghana bridging gender gap in STEM initiative

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana has re-iterated its commitment to help address gender stereotypes in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

According to Mrs Beauty Beatrice Kwawu, the Gender Focal Point Officer for AIMS, everything was being done to recognise the critical role of women in STEM to encourage more females into it.

Consequently, she said AIMS had launched an initiative dubbed: “Women in STEM” (WIS) to champion a holistic approach to gender equality in STEM by engaging men and boys and encouraging African girls and women to pursue further studies and careers in Mathematical Sciences. 

Mrs Kwawu made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

She said AIMS was committed to ensuring that more than 30 per cent of its students were women and that future female leaders in mathematics and science had the support and opportunities they needed to advance.

The theme for the event was “Promoting Gender Balance in STEM” in line with the global campaign theme of “Better the Balance, Better the World”.

According to her, women continued to remain under-represented among STEM graduates accounting for only 16 per cent in the world. 

She noted that often times, stereotypes about girls and STEM held girls back from choosing STEM subjects in schools and pursuing careers in them.

Mrs Kwawu said AIMS was dedicated to accelerate progress for African Women in STEM through advocacy and adoption of best practices among others to change the narrative through its Women in STEM Initiative.

Mr Kofi Asuman, the Chief Operating Officer of AIMS Ghana called on all stakeholders to play their respective roles in the global agenda by ensuring balance in the field of STEM, while encouraging girls to aspire higher and choose STEM courses and careers to contribute to the transformation of Africa. 

He said AIMS, had over the past years trained many women who were contributing immensely to solving the problems in different sectors of the local and regional economies across Africa.

Some women who had excelled in STEM, majority from AIMS took turns to share their experiences and showcased the link between mathematical science education and the transformation agenda of Africa. 

They mentioned the various opportunities women had if they ventured into STEM and encouraged the young girls to develop interest and confidence to succeed in STEM programmes. 

The event offered the girls an opportunity to listen to female role models for inspiration to pursue courses in STEM as the next generation of women. 

Some of the students in an Interview with the GNA expressed gratitude to AIMS and indicated that their confidence to pursue STEM programmes and careers had been boosted.

GNA