Championing STEM Education in Ghana. Vivo Energy Partners ABCDE and Soronko Academy

published on 08th Jun 2021 1605 views

Vivo Energy Ghana, the marketers and distributors of Shell-branded products and services is sponsoring some Senior High School students in Accra and Kumasi to undergo an Information Communication Technology (ICT) training. This is under a partnership programme with the African Business Centre for Developing Education (ABCDE), an NGO facilitating educational services and Soronko Academy, leading technology and digital skills development center in Ghana.

The initiative forms part of Vivo Energy Ghana’s V-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Programme launched last year in partnership with ABCDE to make STEM education more attractive, increase awareness in career opportunities that exist in the world of science and technology, especially among female students and garner private sector support.

The first batch of students who graduated on Friday, May 21 2021 were taken through Full-Stack Web Development as a basis for an Advanced Technical Course. The curriculum had a flow of practical hands-on applications, interactivity, teamwork and mentorship sessions.

The students were selected from the Accra Wesley Girls Senior High School, Archbishop Porter Girls, Chemu Senior High School, Samuel Senior High School, University Practice Senior High School and Wesley Grammar Senior High School. The second batch of students will be selected from the Ashanti Region.

The Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mr. Ben Hassan Ouattara, explained that the V-STEM Programme demonstrates the company’s commitment towards education and helping young people, especially the girl child to catch up on science and technology in this era where technology is driving our culture. He added that as part of the steps to bridge the gap, the company decided to collaborate with ABCDE and Soronko Academy to advance the teaching of coding among young ones.

"This year, we decided to partner with ABCDE under their agreement with Soronko Academy to give these young ones an experience in ICT to increase their interest in STEM. Each batch will undergo a six-week coding Programme after which they will be given internship opportunities to further boost their career interest in STEM,” says Mr. Ben Hassan Ouattara.

According to Mr. Ouattara, the oil and gas industry is one of the key sectors that heavily depends on STEM. The operations under this sector require people with STEM background to research and develop innovative products and technological energy solutions for the common good of humanity. It is therefore imperative that we encourage the study of STEM to prepare students towards meeting the demands of a tech-driven economy, which is being fast-tracked by COVID-19.

Mr. Clifford Nii Afadi Tetteh, the General Manager of ABCDE, urged other corporate organizations to support the ABCDE ICT initiative, especially for women and girls as it goes a long way to create the balance desired in the industry. “Over the last 10 years, the ABCDE has been championing and facilitating educational initiatives in the country. We have done this through the benevolence of corporate organizations like Vivo Energy Ghana and other individuals. We urge all companies to support this initiative,” he said. He used the platform to thank Vivo Energy Ghana for its consistent support towards the educational sector and appealed to more organizations to emulate their exemplary performance.

The Project Manager of Soronko Academy, Ms. Delphina Agyare explained that they are excited about the project because it is inline with the Academy’s mission to pioneer the way for young people. Especially women and girls to realize their economic potential and equip them with the technical and soft skills needed to attain dignified, fulfilling jobs and overcome the gender gap in technology.