By Muyid Deen Suleman GNA
Kumasi Oct 13, GNA – The government’s One Million Coders programme is set to create 100,000 jobs in the first two years of its implementation.
The landmark government digital initiative, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, aimed at equipping one million Ghanaians with digital skills and tech-related competencies over a multi-year period to catalyze employment and foster innovation.
Mr. Samuel Nartey George, the sector Minister, who stated this said the initiative goes beyond equipping young people with coding and digital skills, adding that, it was actively generating employment opportunities for beneficiaries within the digital ecosystem.
Speaking during a tour of some digital coding centres in the Ashanti the Minister pointed out that government’s promise to train one million Ghanaians in digital skills and generate employment had successfully been realized.
He noted that President John Dramani Mahama, had tasked the Communications Ministry to ensure that beneficiaries of the programme seamlessly transition into gainful employment upon completing their training.
He added that, the Ministry had presented progress reports to the President and remained highly confident of achieving the target of training one million Ghanaians by the end of its four-year tenure.
Mr Nartey revealed that the programme had already built a talent pool of 10,000 data annotators, whose specialized skills were ready to be leveraged by businesses seeking a workforce for specific digital tasks.
He emphasized that, the Ministry was now focused on cultivating a critical mass of skilled professionals to satisfy the growing demand for digital services, especially from international companies looking to outsource operations to Ghana.
He added that, the programme was on a steady trajectory and was well on track to exceed the one-million mark within the four-year period.
“The Ministry is transitioning from training to active job creation, with a firm target of securing 100,000 digital jobs,” he stressed.
During his visits, he engaged with beneficiaries, listened to their concerns, and assured them that the challenges raised would be swiftly addressed.
He toured several digital hubs and centers, including the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the Kwadaso Regional Information Centre, and the Asawase Community Information Centre.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Kenneth Odeng Adade