Samuel Nartey George targets 100,000 jobs through One Million Coders

The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has announced a target to create 100,000 digitally enabled jobs within the next two years. This goal is a central component of the government's One Million Coders programme, which seeks to transform Ghana’s digital economy by equipping citizens with high-demand technical skills. Speaking during a monitoring visit to the Ashanti Region, the Minister emphasized that the initiative is now transitioning from its initial training phase toward active job placement and employment generation.

This strategic shift follows a directive from President John Mahama to ensure that graduates of government training programmes are effectively integrated into the workforce. To meet this objective, the Ministry is actively connecting programme participants with local and international businesses requiring digital expertise. Mr. George revealed that the initiative has already established a talent pool of 10,000 skilled data annotators. These individuals are prepared to handle digital assignments for global firms, particularly as international companies increasingly look to outsource tech-related services to Ghana.

During his tour of training centres and artificial intelligence (AI) labs in the Ashanti Region, the Minister interacted with various beneficiaries to address their concerns and assess the quality of the training provided. He noted that the ministry's goal is not only to meet the four-year mandate of training one million Ghanaians but also to exceed these expectations by creating a sustainable ecosystem for digital innovation. The Minister expressed confidence that the progress made so far indicates the programme is on track to meet its ambitious employment targets.

The One Million Coders programme is designed to bridge the digital skills gap and position Ghana as a competitive hub for technology services in the sub-region. By focusing on job creation alongside skill acquisition, the government aims to provide long-term economic opportunities for the youth while supporting the digital transformation of various sectors. The Ministry continues to monitor and refine the programme to ensure it remains responsive to the evolving needs of the global digital market.