A Director at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington State, Nina Marini has praised Ghana’s “One Million Coders” programme, describing it as a forward-looking initiative with strong potential to prepare young people for the demands of the global digital economy.

She made the remarks during a brainstorming session with Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, and a team at Microsoft’s headquarters, where discussions centred on digital skills development, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

Ms Marini, who co-founded Ashesi University, reflected on the institution’s founding philosophy of training ethical, entrepreneurial and solution-oriented leaders, stressing that education must go beyond job preparation to develop critical thinking and lifelong learning skills.

She praised Ghana’s proposed “One Million Coders” initiative and encouraged stronger alignment with Microsoft’s digital ecosystem, including Microsoft Learn and startup support platforms, to build a stronger innovation-driven economy.

“It was never just about teaching a set of material for people to go and find jobs. It was about learning how to think critically, collaborate, communicate effectively, and always keep learning,” she said, highlighting the importance of adaptive education in a rapidly changing technological world.

Also speaking at the engagement, Microsoft Security investigator Peter Anaman stressed the need to equip young people with both artificial intelligence skills and cybersecurity awareness, noting the growing sophistication of cyber threats globally.

He emphasised that tools such as Microsoft Copilot and other AI platforms could help drive innovation among young people if used responsibly, while calling for stronger collaboration between governments and technology companies to build safer and more innovative digital ecosystems.