Over 500 young people have benefited from the IT & Cyber Security mentorship program by The Gambia Women and Girls in STEM (WiStem) and its collaborators since last year as part of their commitment to nurturing talent in STEM.
Fatou Senghore, a cyber security expert and member of WiStem, conducted the mentorship training along with Gamcon President Ismaila Jawara; Lamin Drammeh, an IT operations engineer at BBC and the founder of Career Development Group (CDG); and Maebou Cham, founder of Winteh Academy. WiStem President Kodou Jeng provided full support for this initiative.
The mentorship program includes weekly virtual webinars on various IT and security disciplines and free eLearning Cisco courses obtained through a partnership with Wintech Academy.
Six hundred students were enrolled in the following Cisco e-learning courses: JavaScript Essentials, Network Defense, CCNA routing & switching, and Operating System Basics.
In an interview with Alkamba Times, Fatou Senghore, a driving force behind the plan, disclosed: “This mentorship program aims to bridge the gap in the Information Technology skillset of the Gambia’s Tech ecosystem and to equip the generation of young Gambians with careers in Digital Technology, staying abreast of the latest evolving technological trends.”
She said, “The Gambia’s digital technology landscape is immature, and there are limited technological skill sets, which is why I introduced this initiative.”
Following her mentorship of numerous youths in the field, Fatou organized an intensive boot camp on CCNA.
Kodou Jeng, founder and president of Wistem, emphasized the significance of mentorship for her organization while speaking to TAT.
“I have compiled the data, and there are 600 students currently enrolled in the free Cisco e-learning courses. Of these 600, approximately 100 have completed the courses and received badges and certifications,” she said.
Of the 700 students, only 20 benefited from their two-week CCNA intensive boot camp.
“WiSTEM GamCon WINTECH Solutions played a pivotal role in providing training to these Gambians, showcasing the power of teamwork in contributing to our fellow citizens’ success. I am delighted that we could offer internationally recognized training opportunities, potentially enhancing the lives of our Gambian counterparts,” Wistem’s President added.
