–As part of activities marking Int’l Day of the Girl Child
By: Geeplay Ezekiel Geeplay | Contributing Writer
Monrovia, Liberia |April 26, 2026| Liberia on April 25, 2026 joined the rest of the world to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child, rallying around the 2026 theme: “AI for Development: Inspiring the Next Generation of Girls to Lead in Tech.”
The theme according to the Liberia Telecommunications Authority is a direct call to action for more than 450,000 girls worldwide to move from being technology users to technology creators, aiming to close the persistent gender divide in the digital sector.
“This is not just about using technology but creating it,” the LTA said in a statement issue Friday. “Our girls are destined to become architects of our digital world.”
This year’s focus places Artificial Intelligence at the center of development and urges girls to step into leadership roles as innovators and entrepreneurs in the tech space.
Advocates say the shift is critical for Liberia and other developing nations, where women remain underrepresented in STEM fields, coding, data science, and tech startups.
The message was echoed by youth groups, schools, and tech hubs across Montserrado and other counties, which held coding demos, panel discussions, and mentorship sessions for girls.
With Liberia pushing digital transformation under its national development plan, experts note that excluding girls from AI and tech creation risks widening inequality. Access to mobile technology is growing, but the gap in who designs, builds, and owns tech platforms remains wide.
“AI will shape health, education, agriculture, and governance. If girls are not at the table building these systems, the systems won’t serve them,” said a representative of a local girls-in-tech NGO during a program at a Monrovia high school.
The National WASH Commission also linked the day to its mandate, noting that digital tools and AI can improve water monitoring, predict disease outbreaks, and expand sanitation services — areas where female data scientists and engineers are urgently needed.
The United Nations first set aside October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child in 2012 to highlight girls’ rights and challenges. While April 26 is not the UN-designated date, several institutions use alternate dates to run localized campaigns tied to global themes.
This year’s worldwide target to inspire 450,000 girls into innovation and entrepreneurship reflects growing urgency: the World Economic Forum estimates that only 22% of AI professionals globally are women.
Speakers today urged government, private sector, and parents to invest in girls’ digital skills, provide safe learning spaces, and fund girl-led tech solutions.
“Our girls should not just download apps. They should design them, patent them, and lead the companies that build them,” one student said during a panel in Paynesville.
As Liberia works to meet its PMCS and development targets, today’s celebration positioned girls not as beneficiaries of technology, but as the next generation of its architects.
