By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (V/R), Sept. 10, GNA-Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta, has secured about 50 laptops for the Keta Constituency under the government’s flagship One Million Coders Programme (OMCP), aimed at equipping the young people with relevant digital skills.
He said the initiative formed part of efforts to prepare the youth of Keta for opportunities in technology-driven economy, and the gesture was to demonstrate the continued commitment to empowering constituents and position Keta for the future.
Mr Gakpey indicated that the laptops would support practical Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and coding training for young people in the constituency which would form part of the broader national rollout of the OMCP, which seek to train one million Ghanaians in coding and digital skills.
“The One Million Coders Programme, being implemented by the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations in collaboration with the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Ghana Digital Centres Limited and the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, forms part of government’s digital transformation agenda.”
He said under Phase One of the programme, 130 learning centres were established across all 16 regions of the country, with each centre earmarked to receive 50 customised laptops configured specifically for coding and digital skills training, in line with the allocation secured for Keta.
Mr Gakpey used the opportunity and reaffirmed his commitment to bringing opportunities that empower the youth of Keta, adopting the slogan “Empowering our youth, building a digital Keta” as a rallying call for the initiative.
“Young people in the Keta Constituency interested in benefiting from the training have been encouraged to register on the official One Million Coders Programme portal, with the initiative expected to enhance employability, entrepreneurship and innovation among the youth in the areas,” he said.
At the regional level, the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) in April this year received 900 Lenovo laptops and accessories from the Ministry through GIFEC, for onward distribution to beneficiary districts across the region, with districts earmarked to benefit under the first phase.
Dr Francis Seglah, the Volta Regional Director of GIFEC, has earlier disclosed that the delivery of the laptops marked the beginning of the implementation of the programme in the region, with training expected to cover coding, website design, internet applications and other digital competencies.
Eligible youths have been urged to take the opportunity to enable curb employment rate within the various communities in the country.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah