Government Distributes Laptops to Launch Nationwide One Million Coders Programme

Editor: Solomon Kwabena Nana-Ansah –

The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations has distributed laptops to selected institutions and training centres to support the nationwide rollout of the One Million Coders Programme (OMCP), a flagship initiative aimed at equipping young Ghanaians with coding and digital skills for employment in the global digital economy.
The distribution, which took place on April 10, 2026, marks a significant step in scaling up the programme following a successful pilot phase.

The OMCP was launched nearly a year ago by President John Dramani Mahama at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT. Initially, the pilot targeted 500 trainees across four centres in Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani and Tamale. However, overwhelming demand—evidenced by nearly 94,000 applications received within 48 hours—prompted an expansion of the pilot to accommodate about 1,000 participants.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony held at the Ministry’s Conference Room on Friday, the sector Minister noted that lessons from the pilot phase have informed the design of the nationwide rollout to ensure participants acquire practical, job-ready digital skills.
Under Phase One, the programme will be implemented across 130 learning centres in all 16 regions, with each centre equipped with 50 customised laptops configured specifically for coding training.

The rollout is being executed in collaboration with key agencies, including the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Ghana Digital Centres Limited, and the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT.
Twelve universities are participating in the first phase, including the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the University of Cape Coast.

The Minister also acknowledged private sector support, particularly from MTN Ghana, which contributed resources valued at approximately two million US dollars towards the procurement of additional laptops for selected universities under the programme.

The Ministry further indicated that the application portal will soon be reopened. This will allow previous applicants to continue their registration, while new applicants will undergo a simplified verification process linked to the Ghana Card system.

To support implementation at the local level, government has recruited 130 constituency-based coordinators to manage the centres and provide technical assistance to trainees. Plans are also underway to expand the programme to cover all constituencies nationwide.

The One Million Coders Programme is expected to play a pivotal role in advancing Ghana’s digital transformation agenda by developing a skilled workforce capable of tapping into emerging opportunities in artificial intelligence, software development, and remote digital employment.