"Lessons from pilot phase shaped national rollout of one million coders programme” - Sam Nartey George

The Government of Ghana has taken a major step toward advancing digital skills development with the distribution of laptops to institutions and training centres under the nationwide rollout of the One Million Coders Programme (OMCP).

The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, is aimed at equipping young Ghanaians with critical coding and digital competencies to compete in the global digital economy.

Speaking at a presentation ceremony on Friday, the Minister emphasized that lessons from the pilot phase have helped shape the national rollout, ensuring that the programme delivers practical skills and real employment opportunities for participants.

The OMCP, originally launched by John Dramani Mahama at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, began with a pilot involving 500 trainees across four centres in Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani and Tamale.

However, overwhelming demand—nearly 94,000 applications within 48 hours—prompted an expansion of the pilot to accommodate about 1,000 trainees.

Under Phase One of the national rollout, the programme will operate in 130 learning centres across all 16 regions, each equipped with 50 customised laptops configured for coding training.

The implementation is being carried out in collaboration with key institutions, including the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, Ghana Digital Centres Limited, and the Kofi Annan ICT Centre.

Twelve universities, including the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and University of Cape Coast, are participating in the first phase.

The Minister also acknowledged support from the private sector, notably MTN Ghana, which contributed resources valued at approximately two million US dollars toward the procurement of additional laptops.

The Ministry further announced that the application portal will soon be reopened to allow previous applicants to continue their registration, while new applicants will undergo a simplified verification process linked to the Ghana Card system.

To ensure smooth implementation, 130 constituency-level coordinators have been recruited to manage the centres and provide technical support, with plans to expand coverage to all constituencies nationwide.

The One Million Coders Programme is expected to play a critical role in Ghana’s digital transformation drive, preparing a workforce ready to tap into opportunities in artificial intelligence, software development, and remote digital employment.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith