Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai has pressed the youth to leverage on technology in order to remain relevant in every dispensation they find themselves.
According to her, technology has drastically morphed ways of doing things and as such it’s imperative for the youth to latch onto this phenomenon to succeed.
“A few years from now Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, machine learning, 3D printing and augmented reality will all be deeply rooted in our everyday lives just like computers, phones and electricity are necessities today.
“Many organizations are beginning to leverage technology and require fewer employees but more tech-savvy ones. This means job roles are slowly disappearing and being replaced by skill sets”.
The 2020 International Youth Empowerment Summit (IYES) Virtual Conference was organised under the theme “Breaking Limits” to inform, inspire and empower the youth not only on Christian values but also on real-life issues and ways to face them.
Speaking at the event, the CEO of Vodafone buttressed on the significance for the youth to be knowledgeable in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related courses for a more advanced way of doing things which will inevitably create future employment opportunities.
“Now more than ever, employers require employees to be familiar with the ever-growing number of technologies they implement”.
“They need critical thinkers, problem solvers, and creative people to make sure they succeed in the future of technology and thus being knowledgeable in STEM-related courses helps in that aspect of development”.
In spite of the pervading impact of the virus she endeared the youth to remain resilient and employ hard work as a permanent feature in their endeavors.
“The fact that COVID-19 and the measures in place to confine the pandemic have slowed education and you are struggling to keep up, should not be an excuse. Have a mind-set where you have the desire and the confidence that you can learn anything to enrich your work life.
“Take your education into your own hands by learning something new -coding, behavioral psychology, automation tools, and play with data – be curious. Online and offline courses have never been more readily available or rich in content, take advantage of them. It is time to build something,” she explained.
Patricia Obo-Nai
Patricia Obo-Nai found the need to voice the weight of women empowerment to chain the face of any other, cautioning collective entities to make the needed investments.
“According to the 2010 Population and Housing Censuses, Ghana recorded a rapid growth of the adolescent and youth population which women form a significant part of the population. Girls and women should, therefore, be encouraged to take up these courses. Let us change our minds, stop causing fear of these subjects and challenge ourselves. Technology is the future and it is exciting, be ready!”