The government has distributed over 8,500 laptops to launch Phase One of the One Million Coders Programme (OMCP), a flagship initiative designed to provide young Ghanaians with essential digital skills.
The presentation, held in Accra, marks a strategic expansion of the project to 130 learning centers across all 16 regions and selected universities. These devices are intended to support specialized training in coding, artificial intelligence, and other emerging digital technologies.
During the event, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, stated that the national rollout incorporates key lessons from a successful pilot phase to ensure measurable outcomes.
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He emphasized that the programme’s objective extends beyond basic literacy, focusing instead on scaling and upscaling the next generation of ICT professionals in Ghana.
According to the distribution plan, each of the 130 community-based learning centers will receive 50 laptops, totaling 6,500 units. An additional 2,000 laptops, sourced through private sector partnerships, have been allocated to universities, with more supplies expected from the government in the future.
The Minister noted that the hardware has been specifically customized to align with the programme’s structured learning goals.
Addressing the scale of public interest, Sam George recalled that the pilot phase, which targeted only 500 participants, received approximately 94,000 applications within 48 hours. To ensure the full rollout is inclusive, the government is partnering with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection to reserve 50,000 training slots for persons with disabilities through the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations.
Agencies, including the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, Ghana Digital Centres Limited, and the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, are supporting the implementation.
To bridge the gap between training and employment, the government has signed agreements with industry players to place up to 200,000 graduates in remote and outsourcing positions. Additionally, the first phase of the rollout has created immediate employment for 130 technical officers who will manage the training centers nationwide