Chief of Staff Dr Julius Debrah says Ghana’s One Million Coders Programme must create clear pathways into employment and business, warning that training numbers alone will not deliver the economic benefits expected from the initiative.
Speaking at the 2026 MOBEX Africa Conference in Accra, he said the programme’s success should be measured by its ability to help young people secure jobs, establish businesses and develop technology solutions that address practical problems.
“We must not celebrate 1 million certificates if they do not lead to 1 million pathways into productive enterprises,” he said.
The programme is intended to equip young people with skills in coding, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity and other areas of technology.
Dr Debrah said graduates should be able to find work in Ghanaian companies, public institutions and global firms. Others should have access to internships, remote work and opportunities in business-process outsourcing and global business services.
He also expects some graduates to establish businesses developing digital solutions for agriculture, health, education, transport, finance and local government.
Employers urged to create opportunities
Dr Debrah called on businesses to help shape training curricula, offer internships, recruit graduates, mentor entrepreneurs and create markets for locally developed technology.
He disclosed that a skills gap analysis was being undertaken to identify areas of high demand and align training more closely with available opportunities.
“We must listen to employers, anticipate emerging needs, and build clear pathways for graduates,” he said.
Greater involvement by industry would help ensure that graduates acquire skills businesses need, while giving employers a role in preparing the workforce.
From training to productive work
Dr Debrah pointed to the potential for digital skills to solve problems across the country.
A young developer in Tamale, he said, should be able to build a platform that helps farmers reach markets. A data analyst in Ho should be able to help a hospital plan its medicines and supplies, while a cybersecurity trainee in Takoradi should be able to protect a growing small business.
“These are the outcomes that turn training programme into national transformation,” he said.
He said technology should support productivity across agriculture, manufacturing, trade, health, education and finance, while making public services faster, simpler and more transparent.
Government expands training infrastructure
Dr Debrah said the One Million Coders Programme was being implemented across the country, with training taking place at universities, community information centres and local ICT facilities.
He commended the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, for visiting training centres, meeting learners and examining implementation challenges.
At the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, he said, an additional 2,000 laptops would support 40 new learning centres.
Dr Debrah said government wanted young people across the country to have a fair chance to acquire digital skills, regardless of where they lived.
“A young person’s location must never determine the size of his or her future,” he said.
Ghana targets a bigger role in the digital economy
Dr Debrah said digital transformation was central to President John Dramani Mahama’s economic reset, with implications for jobs, productivity, public services and Ghana’s links with African and global markets.
He said Ghana needed to move beyond consuming technologies developed elsewhere and build the skills, businesses and infrastructure to design and deploy its own solutions.
He also cited Ghana’s national artificial intelligence strategy, which focuses on responsible adoption, data governance, infrastructure and workforce readiness.
Beyond Ghana, he called for closer digital integration across Africa through interoperable payment systems, trusted digital identities, compatible regulations and easier cross-border digital trade.
He pointed to Nigeria’s fintech and startup sector, Kenya’s use of mobile technology to widen financial inclusion, and Egypt’s progress in technology-enabled services and outsourcing as examples Ghana could learn from.
Ghana’s political stability, young population, growing innovation community and position as host of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, he said, should help the country attract investment and build technology businesses capable of creating jobs and exporting services.
Jobs will determine the programme’s impact
The central challenge for the One Million Coders Programme is whether training will translate into work that provides sustainable incomes and supports business growth.
Dr Debrah did not specify how many graduates were expected to secure jobs, when employment targets would be met or how many companies had committed to recruiting participants.
Those details will be important in assessing the programme’s employment impact.
For now, his message to government and industry was clear: training must lead somewhere. The value of the initiative will ultimately depend on whether graduates can use their skills to earn a living, build businesses and contribute to Ghana’s economy.
Africa’s ideas must leave a mark
In his opening address, George Spencer Quaye, Chief Executive of MOBEX Africa, called for ideas and knowledge to be translated into action.
He urged different generations to come together to develop solutions and build shared prosperity, stressing the need for Africa’s ambitions to produce progress people can experience in their daily lives.
His message complemented Dr Debrah’s call for digital transformation to deliver practical benefits rather than remain an ambition.
