The government's One Million Coders Programme has enrolled 141,954 accounts nationwide as of August this year.
The Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, who disclosed this, added that the programme had recorded the strongest demand in the skills that the country’s economy needed, mostly cybersecurity, data analytics and artificial intelligence.
He said the government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 12 universities in the country that had integrated the One Million Coders courses as compulsory programmes for graduation for all Level 100 students who were being enrolled starting this academic year.
"We are making sure that our graduates do not just graduate, but they graduate as work-ready.
Our ambition goes beyond issuing certificates.
We want to raise a generation with real practical competences in software development, artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, animation, gaming and emerging digital fields that we have not even named yet," he said.
Mr George said this at the graduation of Cohort One of the Digital Skills Project organised by Plan International Ghana with donor support from NOKIA and Next Gen Infraco (NGIC), and Intellas as the implementing partners.
The 26 graduates had completed a 12-week intensive training programme in digital skills as part of the project.
The training equipped them with the technological tools, confidence, and problem-solving abilities needed to address real-life challenges in their communities.
The project aligns with Plan International Ghana's country strategy on youth economic empowerment to ensure young people are competitive and ready for the job market, while also contributing to the economic development of their communities.
The One Million Coders Programme is a government digital initiative that is aimed at equipping one million Ghanaians with relevant practical digital skills.
Digital skills
Mr George said the government's commitment to digital skills sat at the heart of its digital transformation agenda and that, through the ministry, it was building a digital economy in which every Ghanaian, regardless of gender, geography, or economic background, would have a genuine opportunity to participate.
For girls and young women, he urged them not to allow anyone or anything to keep them from entering the technology-related fields, assuring them that they had a place in the country's digital future.
To the 26 graduates, he encouraged them to keep building on the skills acquired through further learning, mentorship and relentless practice.
He told the organisers, that the government appreciated the investment they had made in the young people, adding that the challenge of building Ghana's digital workforce was too important and too large for the government alone to carry.
"We need strong partnerships among governments, development partners, tech companies, academia, training institutions, and the private sector, all pulling in the same direction," he said.
He encouraged the private sector to go beyond training and help build bridges to internships, apprenticeships, employment and entrepreneurship, emphasising that training must be connected to opportunities; otherwise, it would remain only a promise.
Foundation for opportunities
The acting Country Director of Plan International Ghana, Frederick Tei-Nobi, told the graduates that the skills they had acquired could become the foundation for employment, entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as open doors to new opportunities and, importantly, enable them to create opportunities for others.
He asked them to continue learning, experimenting, building and taking their ideas to the next level, pointing out that where an idea had the potential to become a sustainable enterprise, they should have the courage to pursue it.
"Your achievements will inspire other young people to believe that they too can acquire digital skills, develop innovative solutions and make a meaningful contribution to the development of Ghana," he said.
The Digital Skills Project Manager, Julius Doe, said the three-year digital skills project aimed to increase digital skills acquisition, employability, and entrepreneurship among young people, targeting undergraduate students across all academic disciplines.
He said 360 young people were expected to be trained by the end of the three years, with at least 120 targeted for each project year.
Mr Doe said the project would be implemented in three main locations, namely Tamale in the Northern Region, Greater Accra and Ho in the Volta Region.
