The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has urged beneficiaries of the government’s One Million Coders programme to progress beyond beginner-level training and acquire advanced digital skills to improve their employment prospects in the technology sector.
He said although the government is committed to providing free digital skills training, trainees needed to develop higher levels of competence to meet the demands of employers and secure meaningful jobs.
Mr George made the call during a visit to a One Million Coders training centre in Ho as part of his tour of the Volta Region to interact with learners, assess the programme’s progress and inspect digital and telephony projects.
The minister stated that the initiative was a flagship programme of President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, designed to equip young people with relevant digital skills and create pathways to employment. He said the training was structured into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels to enable participants to progressively develop the competencies required in the technology industry.
“Immediately after you finish the beginner, we urge you to enrol and do the intermediate because most of the qualifications that are needed are for people with advanced skills,” he said, adding that participation in the programme was entirely free, with learners required to commit their time and dedication to completing the various stages.
Mr George said the government was working with partners to create employment opportunities, including remote jobs, for qualified graduates. He explained that his visit was also intended to obtain direct feedback from trainees about their experiences and challenges to help improve the implementation of the programme, beyond the weekly reports submitted by the implementation team.
The Volta Regional Director of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Dr Francis Seglah, said measures were underway to improve internet connectivity at the training centre. He indicated that, under the World Bank-supported Ghana Digital Acceleration Project, GIFEC was implementing a last-mile connectivity programme to provide selected Community Information Centres with high-speed internet, including through dedicated fibre connections. He added that the organisation would engage service providers to optimise existing connections while efforts continued to extend fibre infrastructure to more centres.
The minister also disclosed that the ministry was establishing partnerships with tertiary institutions, with particular emphasis on final-year students, to equip them with digital skills before graduation and improve their transition into employment. He said the government was exploring Business Process Outsourcing opportunities to create additional jobs for trained young people, stressing that the programme should translate into tangible economic benefits for participants.
Mr George urged beneficiaries to encourage their friends and family members to enrol in the initiative, describing it as part of President Mahama’s broader vision for digital transformation and job creation.
He also credited the President’s earlier tenure as Minister for Communications with helping lay the foundations for Ghana’s telecommunications development, including the expansion of mobile communications.
By: Daniel Orlando/newsalertgh.com
