Adzadu Yayra Aku a final year, BEng.Applied Electronics and Systems Engineering (Telecommunication option) student at Regent University College of Science and Technology took part in a Spectrum Management training at the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute campus in Nairobi, Kenya, from 14th August to 18th August, 2023.

She was among 157 young women selected from English-speaking countries in Africa, to participate in the training, fully funded by the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) PRIDA programme.

The training was aimed at providing young women, currently enrolled in their final year of studies, with knowledge on the aspects of radio frequency (RF) spectrum and spectrum management to prepare participants for future job opportunities in telecommunications engineering, wireless networks, RF planning, and Spectrum Management.

The "Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa" (PRIDA) project is a joint initiative of the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), that works towards enabling the African continent to reap the benefits of digitalization by addressing various dimensions of broadband demand and supply in Africa and building the capacities of AU Member States in the Internet Governance space.

“I found out through the training, that the number of females in the field of telecommunications engineering and spectrum management, is very few,” Yayra shared.

“It was amazing meeting other young university women from various parts of Africa and learning more about spectrum management, something that the world depends on for internet connectivity. It has given me additional clarity on my chosen field of study and my career path,” said Yayra.

“I am grateful for the support of the ITU’s PRIDA programme, which made my participation possible. I am now inspired, as a woman in tech, to strive to be the best I can be in the field I find myself in.”