TRA Celebrates International Girls In ICT Day

The UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, TRA, held a session titled, “Sharing the ITU training programme experience”, in conjunction with the International Girls in ICT Day: Expand horizons, change attitudes, celebrated by the ITU on 23rd April every year.

The session reflected the experiences of Emirati female engineers, Amal Al Qassim, Shaymaa Al Hafiti and Amna Al Shamsi, during the four-month ITU training programme aimed at enabling UAE women in the ICT and preparing the next generation of TRA leaders.

Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA Director-General, said, “The UAE has accorded high priority to the empowerment of Emirati woman under the directives of the wise leadership, which believes in women driving the development of the country. Today, we see women as leaders in all sectors, contributing to the achievement of the UAE’s vision and future goals. In the UAE TRA, we are proud of the significant role played by Emirati women in the ICT sector.”

During the session, Amal Al Qassim, CoDI Software Engineer, highlighted the benefits she gained from her participation in the programme. She said, “We were treated as employees in the ITU and held the position of line managers. We had work experience in the private and public sectors at the same time during the training programme. This experience has highlighted the ability of women to work in different technical sectors, including ICT.”

Shaymaa Al Hafiti, Networking Engineer, said, “My relationship with the ITU started since I joined the TRA. This indicates the great trust of the leadership in young women cadres. It enabled me to deal with people from different nationalities, of varied ages and experiences. It enhanced my ability to have quick responses and take decisions.”

Amna Al Shamsi, Interconnection Regulation Specialist, said, “We experienced working behind the scenes for international meetings and conferences. We learned about meeting management, democracy in decision-making and organisation of opinions to reach consensual decisions. I thank my government and the TRA management for their support to women in different sectors, particularly ICT.”