Women in PR Ghana has joined forces with the Ghana India Kofi Annan Center of Excellence to mark the 2024 International Women’s Day at the Females in Technology (FEMITECH) conference.

The partnership which covered a panel session at the conference underscored a shared commitment to foster diversity, inclusivity, and acceleration of the progress of women within the Public Relations and Information Communication Technology sectors. By bringing together thought leaders, professionals, and enthusiasts, the International Women's Day panel discussion focused on the topic ‘‘Communications as a Catalyst to Drive Digital Inclusion’’.

The discussions sought to amplify the role strategic communications play in achieving digital inclusion in a fast-paced digital revolution era.

Sophia Kudjordji, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Jospong Group of Companies, noted that for technology to be adopted by people, its relevance and value should be the topmost consideration for stakeholders involved in its development and deployment. “It is important that when developing some of these digital tools, we pay attention to the language and cultural sensitivity of the communities involved and ensure it is of value to them,” she said.

Touching on communication trends that inspire inclusion, Ivy Heward-Mills, Director of International Education and Collaboration, University of Professional Studies explained that for communication professionals to achieve their digital inclusion targets, they will need to conducted extensive research on the digital communication needs of their audience and identify the channels that will be relevant and genuinely empowering to them.

Eunice Ankomah, Communications Strategist & Certified Digital Finance Practitioner, posited that over the period, players in the technology sector have placed the technology deployment process ahead of strategic communications. This, according to her, has resulted in a huge knowledge gap in the relevance and use of these technologies.

Ms. Ankomah further charged developers to utilise strategic communication to improve the user experience through knowledge sharing on its use and the benefits users can derive from the new tools.

The panel further noted that for Ghana to achieve its digital inclusion targets, communication should not be seen as a back-burner but an integral part of the process. They further called on government institutions in the technology space to partner with industries to drive digital inclusion using communication, and insights for young professionals seeking a career in the industry.

Joyce Ahiadorme, President, Women in PR Ghana, said, "We are excited to join forces with the Ghana-India Kofi Annan ICT Center of Excellence for this impactful collaboration. International Women's Day is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in Public Relations and Information and Communication Technology, and we believe that this panel discussion has served as a reminder to industry players to utilise the strategic role of communication in the digital inclusion journey’’.

Women in PR Ghana is a professional networking organisation committed to educating, mentoring and empowering female PR professionals and students. It was established in May 2017 as a not-for-profit organisation.