As part of its commitment to see the rate of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) literacy rise significantly in the country and beyond, leading Information Technology (IT) firm, Slamm Technologies, has launched the ‘Slamm1million’ campaign.
The campaign, by the firm, which has offices in the Virginia and Massachusetts in the United States as well as in Ghana, seeks to equip one million people with introductory IT skills with 10 percent getting the education for free.
With the government’s digitisation agenda in motion, which has been accelerated by the need for contactless interactions spurred on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, individuals who lack foundational IT skill rank among the most vulnerable in society.
Speaking at the official launch of the campaign at the Accra Data Centre, which houses the firm’s Ghana office, CEO Samuel Boateng said the initiative is aimed at impacting the lives of less privileged Ghanaians by educating and training them these skills.
“We understand that technology is changing the world so we want to make sure we foster and help with the changing of the world by giving the underprivileged the opportunity to learn IT from Slamm. We are looking at tremendously impacting people that do not have the ability to educate themselves in this way so we can educate them: the young and the old, men and women alike,” he said.
He revealed that the campaign seeks to train these individuals in the use of productive tools such as those offered on the Microsoft Office Suite – Word, Excel and Output; Power Point presentations, social media and email communication and etiquette.
With digital penetration significantly lower in areas outside the capital cities, Mr. Boateng stated that that special consideration will be given to persons in these places especially those in educational and religious intuitions.
He added that the programme isn’t time bound and he will not relent until the ultimate goal has been reached. Advertisement, word-of-mouth referrals are some of the avenues Slamm Technologies seeks to use to publicise the campaign.
On the source of funding for the project, he added that it would be borne by Slamm Technologies and as evidence of that commitment, the CEO together with the Director of Operations of the company, Fransisca Boateng, donated the sum of GH¢20,000 to the initiative.
Mrs. Boateng desires to see Ghana emulate a country like India, which has leveraged basic IT skills to provide jobs for its young people.
