Government has announced plans to train 400,000 Ghanaians this year under the flagship One Million Coders Programme as part of efforts to enhance digital literacy, create employment opportunities and drive innovation.
The announcement follows the successful pilot phase of the programme last year, during which 859 beneficiaries received training.
The Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel George, disclosed this during a working visit by Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to the Ministry on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Mr George revealed that 20,000 custom-built laptops have already been procured to support the initiative, with plans underway to roll out training programmes in 100 constituencies by the end of the first quarter of 2026.
The One Million Coders Programme, a key pillar of President John Dramani Mahama’s RESET agenda, seeks to train one million Ghanaians over a four-year period in coding and ICT-related skills, equipping them for employment, remote work and active participation in the digital economy.
The Minister noted that the programme is being implemented in partnership with major global technology firms, including Google, MTN, Huawei and Telecel, to provide internationally recognised certification and enhance the employability of participants.
Beyond skills training, Mr. George outlined a number of reforms and projects being undertaken by the Ministry and its agencies.
These include a comprehensive review of the country’s ICT legislative framework, with the Minister observing that several existing laws are outdated and no longer fit for purpose.
He disclosed that 15 new and amended bills covering areas such as electronic communications, cybersecurity, data protection and digital economy development are currently at various stages of development and will be submitted to Cabinet after stakeholder consultations.
To address inefficiencies in government ICT procurement, Mr George said the Ministry is working closely with the Public Procurement Authority and the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) to prevent duplication of systems across ministries and agencies, protect sensitive national data and ensure value for money.
“We’ve asked the Public Procurement Authority not to grant approval for any government IT-related procurement without reference to NITA, so that existing systems can be leveraged instead of paying for them twice, while also protecting critical national data,” he stated.
The Minister further disclosed that the Ministry is advancing Ghana’s national artificial intelligence strategy in collaboration with the KNUST Responsible AI Lab and local industry partners, with the strategy expected to be launched by the end of the first quarter of 2026.
On institutional reforms, Mr. George said the Ministry has transitioned to a fully paperless internal system, allowing documents to be processed digitally from receipt to final approval.
He also highlighted other achievements, including improvements at Ghana Post, which delivered over 100,000 biometric passports in under six months last year; the rollout of a fully digital system for inter-ministerial correspondence; and ongoing efforts to transition the .gh domain to state ownership to strengthen Ghana’s national digital identity.
