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April 12, 2003
Launching the "CatchITYoung"
Pilot Project in Ghana, West Africa
Winneba Secondary School, Winneba, Ghana
By Kafui Amenu Prebbie
Country Director, Ghana
oneVillage Foundation
Saturday 29th March, 2003 will forever be a landmark
in the history of Information and Communications Technology
(ICT) in Ghana and on the continent of Africa, as
it marked the beginning of a new youth-led ICT project
aimed at augmenting the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD) objectives especially that of
the ICT task force, the e-Africa Commission.
The launch of CatchITYoung – Information Technology
Clubs in Pre-tertiary African Educational Institutions
was hosted by Winneba Secondary School, one of the
beneficiary institutions, in the Central Region of
Ghana. Preparations for the project started just four
weeks before the launch, during a one-day seminar
of all Heads and Club Patrons of beneficiary institutions
in Winneba. After the event the organizers were happy
that their toil was reciprocated by the successful
launch. Being inspired by the United Nation Secretary
General, Kofi Annan who stated in the Millenium Goals
Declaration that "young people should be at the forefront
of global change and innovation", the day was organized
and managed by young people to the admiration of the
elderly present.
African Youth Initiative (AYI), an umbrella organization
founded by oneVillage Foundation, Ghana, Go-online
Africa and Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) envisions
that with the project, every member and club patron
(Teacher) would have basic computer literacy by tapping
the scarce but valuable knowledge from CatchITYoung
Volunteers who are IT professionals.
The Co- founder of AYI and Country Director of oneVillage
Foundation-Ghana, Kafui Amenu Prebbie (Mr) introduced
the dignitaries. In his address later, he stated that
CatchITYoung clubs in first and second cycle educational
institutions in Africa, was a platform and strategy
to ensure youth empowerment by developing youth readiness
to promote quality and visible contribution to national/continental
development through the use of ICT tools. He mentioned
the official recognition of the project by the Ministry
of Education and the Ministry of Communications and
Technology both in Ghana. He also mentioned the New
Academic Year ICT School, an annual exhibition, conference
and workshop of all project stakeholders, the first
of which was to be held in August 2003 in line with
the e-Awareness Project of NEPAD's ICT task force.
It became abundantly clear at the launch, which
was one of the pilot in two regions (Central and Greater
Accra) in Ghana that, institutions and the Ghana Education
Service (GES) were ready to help youth-focused and
led initiatives such as CatchITYoung. The headmaster
of Winneba Secondary School Mr. Yarney echoed this
when he told the gathering during his welcome address
that, schools were ready to support with resources
at their Science Resource Centers and Computer laboratories.
Mr. J. Ato Ampiah, a national coordinator of the
project emphasized that the project was to support
the e-Africa Commission's objective of introducing
basic ICT literacy in pre-tertiary educational institutions
in the e-Schools Projects which aimed at turning out
IT literate students in all African educational institutions
by 2013.
The District Director of Education, Winneba, Mr.
Frank Essien who launched the project was greatly
praised by the organizers for his invaluable assistance
to the project. In his speech, he was also of praise
to the organizers for coming out with such a good
and timely initiative to enhance universal access,
and what made him more proud was that, the initiative
begun in his district thus pledged his continued support.
Before him the Country Coordinator of TakingITGlobal-Ghana
Mr. Ezekiel Annan in his address, said as a project
partner he identified with the vision and had adopted
the Chemu Secondary School-Tema in the Greater Accra
Region to roll out the project.
In attendance also were heads of various departments
in Winneba Secondary School, Patrons and Club members
of Apam Secondary School, Staff of Winneba Science
Resource Center, a delegation from TakingITGlobal-Ghana
and IT volunteers from International Young Professionals
Foundation (IYPF) and all National Coordinators. Club
patrons comprising two teachers from each school and
an average of twenty students per school were present.
First cycle schools present from Winneba included
- Methodist 'A' & 'C' Junior
Secondary
- Methodist 'B' Junior Secondary
- Don Bosco Junior Secondary
- Presby Junior Secondary
- St. Johns Anglican Junior
Secondary
- ACM Junior Secondary
- University Practice Junior
Secondary (South Campus)
- University Practice Junior
Secondary (North Campus )
- A.M.E. Zion Junior Secondary
"A" & "D"
- Methodist "B" Junior Secondary
A mini exhibition was mounted by Ampex Computer Systems,
a project partner to showcase the potentials ICT and
to the amazement of the house, a five-year old boy
displayed his depth of knowledge in the use of ICT
and this challenged all present how "Catching IT Young"
was very important.
During refreshment, a meeting between all patrons
and National coordinators was held during which it
was agreed that, the first session of training for
patrons in Winneba District was to start on 1st April,
2003 and to run for a minimum of three weeks. Subsequently
monthly refresher workshops for all patrons in Winneba
would be held on the third Saturday of every month.
Workshops for patrons in Apam District would be held
the second Saturday of every month also after an initial
three-week course in from third week in April.
Media Coverage was encouraging, as pressmen from
Radio Ghana and TV3 from Accra, and Radio Peace and
Radio Windy Bay from Winneba were present to cover
the event.
All events came to a close with a meeting of the
national coordinators at the Windy-Royal Beach Resort,
Winneba which ended at 4:10pm.
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