GOV’T TARGETS 100,000 DIGITAL JOBS UNDER ONE MILLION CODERS PROGRAMME – SAM GEORGE

The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, has disclosed that government is targeting the creation of 100,000 digitally-enabled jobs within the next two years under its flagship One Million Coders Programme.

According to the Minister, the initiative is now moving beyond training young people in coding and digital technology to creating sustainable employment opportunities by directly connecting beneficiaries to businesses seeking skilled digital workers both locally and internationally.

Hon. Sam George made the disclosure during his nationwide monitoring tour, which is currently in the Ashanti Region, to assess the progress and implementation of the programme at various training centres.

He explained that although the original commitment in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto was to train one million Ghanaians in digital skills, President John Dramani Mahama has tasked the Ministry to ensure that beneficiaries also secure meaningful employment after completing their training.

“We have shown His Excellency the trajectory the programme is on; we will cross a million in the four years. We are pivoting now away from the training into the job creation, and I am confident our target is to reach 100,000 digitally-enabled jobs,” he stated.

Building A Critical Mass For Global Outsourcing

The Minister noted that government has presented detailed progress reports to President Mahama on the One Million Coders Programme and is confident of meeting the target of training one million Ghanaians within the four-year mandate.

He said the administration is now concentrating on building a critical mass of skilled digital workers to meet the growing demand for digital services, particularly from international companies seeking to outsource work to Ghana.

According to him, Ghana is positioning itself as a competitive destination for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and digital services, leveraging its youthful population and expanding digital infrastructure.

“The world is looking for talent. Companies out there are looking for where to outsource work. If we build the critical mass of skilled youth, we become the natural destination for those jobs,” he emphasized.

10,000 Data Annotators Ready For The Job Market

Providing further insight, Hon. Sam George disclosed that the programme has already created a pool of about 10,000 trained data annotators whose skills and profiles can be presented to businesses seeking workers for specific digital assignments.

Data annotation, he explained, is a critical component of Artificial Intelligence development, involving labelling and organizing data to train AI models – a field with huge global demand.

He said the Ministry is in active engagements with local and international firms to absorb these trained professionals, marking the beginning of the job creation phase of the programme.

Monitoring Tour Hits KNUST, Kwadaso, Asawase, Nkwantakese

The Minister’s visit to the Ashanti Region forms part of efforts to evaluate the implementation of the initiative on the ground and interact directly with beneficiaries.

As part of the tour, he visited some training centres and Artificial Intelligence laboratories at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he was briefed on progress and challenges.

He subsequently proceeded to other training centres at Kwadaso, Asawase and Nkwantakese, where he interacted with trainees, listened to their concerns and assured them that the issues raised would be addressed to improve delivery.

The beneficiaries shared experiences on the impact of the training on their skill sets and appealed for enhanced internet connectivity, additional devices, and stronger linkages to job opportunities after completion.

Hon. Sam George assured them that the Ministry, through its agencies including the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and the National Communications Authority (NCA), is working to address the gaps identified during the monitoring tour.

From Training To Employment – The Reset Agenda In Action

The Minister reiterated that the shift from training to job creation is in line with President Mahama’s Reset Agenda, which prioritizes youth employment and digital transformation as key pillars for national development.

He stressed that the One Million Coders Programme is not just a training intervention, but a comprehensive human capital development strategy aimed at preparing Ghanaian youth for the future of work.

The nationwide monitoring tour is expected to continue to other regions in the coming weeks as the Ministry seeks to optimize the programme’s implementation and accelerate its transition into the job creation phase.