The Minister of Communications, Sam George Nartey, has underscored the significance of the 1 Million Coders programme as an initiative designed to provide equal digital opportunities for young Ghanaians, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Speaking at the launch of the programme at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE) in Accra today, Wednesday, April 16, he stated, “This initiative is designed to level the playing field. It will open doors for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds—those too often excluded from the digital economy—to gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.”

The Minister highlighted the alarming fact that nearly one in five youth in Ghana are neither in education, employment, nor training.

He stressed that this exclusion is particularly high among rural populations, women, and persons with disabilities.

“They will be catered for under this programme,” Nartey assured.

He further encouraged the youth of Ghana to seize the opportunities that the 1 Million Coders programme will offer.

“This initiative is a call to action. We need your creativity, your passion, and your talent to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in our nation,” he urged.

“I encourage you to take full advantage of this opportunity and become part of the next generation of coders,” he added.

He also expressed his deep appreciation to international partners who have pledged support for the programme, including MTN Group, Telecel Ghana, Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, ALX, and several others.

“To our international partners who have shown immense goodwill, we say thank you for believing in the vision of President John Dramani Mahama,” he concluded.