The event held on November 6th, 2024 at EEC Petit Saker Primary School in Deido, Douala concluded its series of community activities that started on October 19th with a grand conference on transformative role of artificial intelligence.
As part of Ecobank Day 2024, Ecobank Cameroon proudly concluded its series of community activities with an inspiring digital skills workshop for primary school children. This event, held on November 6 at EEC Petit Saker Primary School in Deido, Douala, gathered more than sixty pupils alongside their teachers and Ecobank Cameroon staff led by Gwendoline Abunaw their Managing Director. It was a day filled with learning, creativity, and exploration. Through hands-on digital reading session and artistic activities, the workshop introduced essential digital skills and sparked new interests in tech-based learning. « At Ecobank Cameroon, we strongly believe that education, and in particular digital reading, is of crucial importance for the future of our children and for the development of our society », said Ecobank Cameroon Managing Director while closing the workshop. She also pointed out that: «The Ecobank Foundation provides parents and teachers with a digital storytelling platform that is easily accessible via mobile phone. It’s a fun and engaging way to promote reading while reinforcing important values such as curiosity, imagination and critical thinking », she added.
For teachers, it provided fresh perspectives on digital teaching methods to engage students in new, impactful ways. By promoting early digital literacy and supporting educators. The initiative is in the same line with the grand conference on the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education that took place on October 19th, 2024 at Yaounde Hilton hotel chaired by Dr Vivian Asheri Kilo, secretary of State in charge of Basic Education (Minedub). Participants focused on foundational learning and how AI can be harnessed to improve children’s acquisition of basic skills in literacy, numeracy and digital literacy.
An initiative in accordance with AU’s declaration of 2024
Dr. Windfred Mfuh, Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication and representative of minister Minette Libom li Likeng insisted on the fact that « artificial intelligence is the defining technology of the era. It is already present in our lives. It is no longer a myth. Due its high value proposition, we at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication have already laid in place a framework to ensure ethical and positive use in Cameroon », he pointed out. The conference aligns with the second year of Ecobank’s three-year « Transforming Africa through education » campaign, and the African Union (AU)’s declaration of 2024 as the year of education and its theme: « Educate and skill Africa for the 21st century », which highlights the importance of integrating technology into foundational learning.
Ecobank Day is Ecobank’s flagship social impact initiative led by the Ecobank Foundation on which Ecobank’s employees give back to their communities. « Our Ecobank Day saw our employees and management assemble a college of brilliant panelists who are trailblazers in the teaching and usage of artificial intelligence in Cameroon and beyond with the objective that their experiences and knowledge will generate insights and practical strategies to successfully integrate artificial intelligence into classrooms in our country », noted the Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon.
Main achievements of Ecobank Day
Since its launch in 2013, Ecobank Day has pioneered critical interventions and supported a wide range of deserving causes for different sections of the society. These include Education for young people in Africa (2013); Malaria prevention and control (2014); every African child deserves a better future (2015); ICT education in schools and improving maternal health (2016); safe water management (2017); orphanages (2018); Cancer (2019); Diabetes (2020); mental health (2021); financial literacy and financial inclusion (2022); and digital education for children (2023).
