When women are given the maximum support to occupy leadership positions and advance in their endeavors, it creates a viable environment for inclusion and gender equality. This is the story of Mavis Osei, the Center Manager of Yamoransa Model Lab 4 in Choggu, in the Northern Region of Ghana. Mavis’s story is not only pivotal in transforming digital literacy at the lab, but also challenging long-held gender norms in Northern Ghana.
In April 2025, Mavis joined 29 other women from across Ghana to participate in a life-changing 14-day ‘Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) Training Program’, organised by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), which was in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Held in Tamale from April 23 to May 7, 2025, the program was designed to empower female Information Technology (IT) facilitators with relevant digital skills aimed at transforming their communities. The training focused on subjects such as digital literacy, cybersecurity, data presentation, computer and mobile device usage, and programming in Scratch and Python. Mavis’ participation was profound, attesting to her mission of bridging all forms of digital divide in her community and inspiring the next generation of digital literates through technology.
As a participant of this training, Mavis showcased the vision of the Yamoransa Model Lab program through her unwavering commitment to accelerating digital literacy and gender empowerment. Like many of her female counterparts who took part in this training, Mavis was empowered not only by the training she gained in digital skills, but she was also inspired to transfer the knowledge attained to the youth in her community. After this training, Mavis initiated a community-based coding workshop and has also leveraged her personality and social media platforms to organise cybersecurity awareness campaigns. The transformative effect of this has been evidenced by the growing number of girls participating in programs held in YM Lab 4. Also worth highlighting are the invitations requested from schools in the community for Mavis’ expertise to lead training programs in digital literacy.
Mavis’ enthusiasm for self-development, knowledge sharing with her students at the YM Lab, and accelerating impact within her community and beyond is commendable, while also demonstrating the impact the DTC training program has had on her. This step reinforces the value of investing in women-led digital empowerment programs, a notable effort in driving the future of sustainability for women and girls in Northern Ghana.
A quote shared by Mavis states, “When you teach a woman to code, you empower a generation to innovate.”
With the many girls Mavis is mentoring, we are confident of a brighter future where more females in Choggu will follow in her footsteps, influencing their families, communities, and beyond, to achieve academic success, leadership, empowerment, and become beacons of excellence.
