The Telecel Ghana Foundation has begun the third cohort of its Digitech Academy, an after-school digital skills programme aimed at strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and addressing persistent digital access gaps among young learners.
The latest cohort, which runs from January to March 2026, is being implemented across five districts in five regions: South Dayi in the Volta Region, Mfantsiman in the Central Region, Jirapa in the Upper West Region, Goaso in the Ahafo Region, and Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
The programme will engage students from 19 schools and is expected to reach up to 500 learners, building on the momentum of the two previous cohorts.
The Digitech Academy is delivered under the Telecel Ghana Foundation’s Connected Learning pillar in partnership with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ghana STEM Centre.
It targets upper primary and junior high school students and runs as a 12-week after-school programme aligned with Ghana’s national academic calendar.
“This third cohort reflects our belief that access to digital skills should not depend on location or socioeconomic background. We are expanding the Digitech Academy into more districts, particularly outside major urban centres, to give young learners practical, future-ready skills to compete with their peers globally and in support of Ghana’s broader digital transformation agenda,” said Mr Komla Buami, External Affairs Director at Telecel Ghana, in a statement issued in Accra on Friday.
The curriculum is structured to complement the GES ICT syllabus and covers a range of foundational and applied STEM topics.
Students receive training in electronics and programming, where they learn to build simple circuits, write basic code and understand the principles of robotics, culminating in the design and programming of self-built functional robots.
The Telecel Digitech Academy holds weekly in-person sessions, with implementation support provided by local partners, Asustem Robotics and the Mingo Foundation, who facilitate hands-on instruction and project-based learning.
Speaking during the pilot launch of the Digitech Academy in Ho, a representative from the office of the Director of the National STEM Centre, Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, said the programme was shaping Ghana’s future positively.
“To truly empower our youth and prepare them for a competitive global market, we must ensure that they do not just use technology but understand and master it. STEM education is no longer optional but essential for the country’s growth,” she stated.
A key feature of the programme is its strong emphasis on gender inclusion. Seventy per cent of training slots are reserved for female students, with the remaining 30 per cent allocated to males, as part of a deliberate strategy to address long-standing gender disparities in STEM participation.
Francisca, a pupil of Peki Adzokoe D.A. Junior High School in the Volta Region and a participant in the third cohort of the Telecel Digitech Academy, expressed excitement about the programme.
“I’m excited about this life-changing learning experience because I want to learn how to code and create my own game,” she said.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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