Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George has disclosed that a total of 91,847 applications have been received for the newly launched One Million Coders Programme so far, highlighting the overwhelming interest the initiative has generated among Ghanaian youth.
Speaking at the official launch held at the Kofi Annan ICT Centre in Accra on Wednesday, April 16, the minister explained that the programme initially targeted 260 participants for the pilot phase but had to expand due to the massive response.
“We planned to do the pilot with 260 students but within the first four hours of announcing, we had over 4,000 applications. We decided to do a double track and do 520. As at this morning, the number of applications we have received is 91,847 applications,” he stated.
“This speaks to the visionary nature of your [President’s] plan and vision to transform our digital ecosystem,” he added.
The pilot phase of the initiative is taking off in four regions—Greater Accra, Ashanti, Bono, and Upper East—drawing over 500 participants from Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani, and Bolgatanga.
Designed to provide digital training at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, the programme is backed by a standardized national curriculum covering multiple digital database platforms. Among the first courses available are Certified Cybersecurity Professional, Certified Network Support Technician, Certified Data Protection Manager, Certified Data Protection Expert, Certified Data Protection Officer, Certified Data Protection Professional, and Data Analyst Associate.
Government is also in advanced talks with global tech leaders to enhance the initiative with specialized content.
“We’re almost done with an agreement with Google to run their program. We’re also talking to Amazon about that. And so these are all specialized courses and verticals that are going to come on stream,” Sam George said in an earlier media interaction on April 14.
In addition, the government has signed an MoU with MTN to support the programme. As part of this collaboration, MTN is establishing its second AI lab in Africa, with Ghana selected as the location.
Sam George emphasized the strategic importance of the move, describing the AI lab as a “center of excellence” that will accelerate innovation in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital transformation.
According to him, the lab is expected to foster stronger collaboration among tech experts and contribute significantly to Ghana’s growing digital ecosystem.
The minister reaffirmed the government’s resolve to build a digital future that enables job creation, innovation, and sustained economic development.
