Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has stated that the One Million Coders Programme is a knee-jerk policy initiative, emphasizing that the plan has been in development for years.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Mr. George clarified that the programme is rooted in a long-term vision first articulated by former President John Dramani Mahama in 2019.
The programme, officially launched on April 16, 2025, across Accra and other satellite locations, aims to equip one million Ghanaians with digital and coding skills to foster innovation, job creation, and economic transformation.
The broader objective is to transition citizens from being digitally native to becoming AI native.
“John Mahama is a man who has vision beyond measure. This plan is not a knee-jerk reaction. He announced this plan for the first time in 2019. So we’ve had six years to build the model, six years to understand what we are about, six years to build the arrangements. So this is not one of those plans. But on top of John Mahama’s vision and meticulousness, you have Sam George as Minister for Communication. Anybody who’s followed my politics knows that I don’t get involved in something I fail and I always get vindicated by time.”
Mr. George assured the public that the initiative is being taken seriously and not treated as a political gimmick, highlighting his track record of advocating for policies that stand the test of time.
He also highlighted ongoing partnerships with global tech players, noting that Google-owned C-squared is supporting the project by providing high-speed internet connectivity to training centers.
In addition, Ghana’s own National Information Technology Agency (NITA) is extending last-mile connectivity to ensure smooth programme delivery.
“I mean, if you look at my advocacy, for example, on family values, I’m sure yesterday you saw the ruling from the UK Supreme Court. The West is aligning with my position and my thinking. What the UK Supreme Court is arriving at on the 16th of April 2025, I spoke about in 2021, four years ahead of time. So long as I’m running this, it can be rest assured. It’s not going to be one of those political gimmicks.”
“This is serious business for me. It won’t fail, I won’t fail. And that’s why, for example, I mentioned C-squared. C-squared is a Google affiliate. In fact, it’s a company owned by Google. And we’re working with them to ensure that we have high speed connectivity. Apart from that, NETA, which is a state-owned agency, has last mile connectivity to quite a number of the CICs. And so we’re making sure that everywhere we are connected to, where the training will happen, there’s going to be high speed internet, dedicated high speed internet to those locations, the facilities themselves. And we are ensuring that as a whole, as a country, we’re able to bring in a bit more.”
According to the minister, the initiative is part of a broader national effort to position Ghana as a leading hub for AI-competent human capital in Africa.
