Twenty- six young people drawn from various parts of Accra have completed training in mobile app development at the Ghana Tech Lab (GTL).
The training, which spanned six weeks, equipped the participants with the needed theoretical and practical skills in the development of various mobile applications for use by individuals and organisations.
Themed: “Mobile Applications for Sustainable Business Development And Job Creation”, the training also featured the involvement of experts in mobile technology taking turns to impact knowledge into the participants.
At a ceremony to mark the successful completion of the project, Emelia Enyonam Kuleke, Ecosystem Associate, GTL lamented that despite the many benefits that come with modern technological advancements, organizations and their customers still lack an understanding of the values of mobile applications.
She said with over 93 million mobile phone users in Ghana according to a 2013 report, mobile service providers are searching for mobile application startups and enterprises to work with while most businesses are also gradually seeing the need to provide customer services to their clients with the aid of mobile apps.
She, therefore, encouraged the participants to “take advantage of the seeming opportunities mobile app development offers and take over the app development ecosystem in Ghana and beyond.”
To the female participants who joined the program, she said to them: “I want to say that you took the right decision and that there are many opportunities for you as young women. Do not see this industry as a difficult or a male-dominated one but continue learning to improve yourselves.”
Nanette Bonnie, Operations Associate, GTL disclosed that the participants included National Service Scheme (NSS) personnel as well as unemployed individuals who underwent the training for free.
She said there are plans to help the participants build and develop their businesses.
“We will take them through business development where they are going to build their businesses. Some too would go to some organisations to learn on the field. We’ll provide mentorship and business development training.”, she said.
On his part, Samuel Boamah Sarkodie, Hub Manager, GTL said many participants, before the training, had zero knowledge in the usage of mobile apps, but along the line, they learned on the job.
The next stage for them is the incubation stage where participants would be allowed to learn further to assess and grow their business concepts.
