Eleven universities in Ghana have signed agreements with the government to integrate certifications from the One Million Coders Programme (OMCP) into their degree and diploma programmes.
The partnership is aimed at equipping university students with practical digital skills alongside their conventional academic qualifications as demand for technology-related competencies continues to grow in the labour market.
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, disclosed this during the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House in Accra.
He said Memoranda of Understanding had been signed with the participating universities as part of efforts to deepen digital skills development and strengthen the connection between academic training and industry requirements.
The institutions include the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) and the University of Cape Coast (UCC), among others.
The initiative is expected to give students access to industry-relevant certifications and practical competencies that complement their university qualifications, helping to narrow the gap between academic education and the skills required in the digital economy.
Implementation has already begun at some institutions, with KNUST recording more than 1,000 students enrolled in the OMCP across four centres.
The centres include the Department of Computer Science and the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab.
Mr George said cybersecurity currently has the highest OMCP enrolment, with 8,570 learners, followed by data analytics, AI Essentials, AI Professional and project management.
The figures reflect growing interest in digital and technology skills as Ghana seeks to expand its pool of workers capable of meeting the demands of an increasingly technology-driven economy.
Beyond tertiary education, the government is also collaborating with the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to extend foundational digital skills training to students between the ages of 13 and 19.
The expansion is intended to introduce digital skills earlier in the education system and create a broader pipeline of young people equipped to participate in Ghana’s digital transformation.
The One Million Coders Programme forms part of government’s broader efforts to increase access to digital skills training and prepare Ghanaians for opportunities in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics and other emerging technologies.
