Young people in the Keta Constituency are set to gain access to coding and other digital skills training following the allocation of 50 customised laptops under the government’s One Million Coders Programme (OMCP).
The initiative is expected to equip young people with practical skills in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), coding and other areas of the digital economy, potentially improving their prospects for employment and entrepreneurship.
The Member of Parliament for Keta, Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, who secured the allocation, said the initiative was part of efforts to position the constituency’s youth to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the technology-driven economy.
He said the laptops would support practical training as Keta becomes part of the broader national rollout of the OMCP, which seeks to train one million Ghanaians in coding and digital skills.
“The One Million Coders Programme, being implemented by the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations in collaboration with the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Ghana Digital Centres Limited and the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, forms part of government’s digital transformation agenda,” he said.
Mr Gakpey said the initiative would complement efforts to empower young people in the constituency with skills that could enable them to create jobs, develop digital businesses and participate more effectively in the modern economy.
Under Phase One of the programme, 130 learning centres have been established across the 16 regions, with each centre allocated 50 customised laptops configured for coding and digital-skills training.
The Keta allocation therefore forms part of the wider national programme aimed at expanding access to digital education and reducing the skills gap among Ghanaian youth.
Mr Gakpey urged interested young people in the constituency to register through the official One Million Coders Programme portal to take advantage of the training opportunities.
He described the initiative as part of his broader commitment to creating opportunities for the youth, adopting the slogan “Empowering our youth, building a digital Keta” as the rallying call.
At the regional level, the Volta Regional Coordinating Council in April received 900 Lenovo laptops and accessories from the Ministry through GIFEC for onward distribution to beneficiary districts under the first phase.
Dr Francis Seglah, Volta Regional Director of GIFEC, earlier said the distribution marked the commencement of the programme’s implementation in the region.
He said training would cover areas including coding, website design, internet applications and other digital competencies.
Mr Gakpey said the programme could help young people develop marketable skills and reduce unemployment by opening pathways into technology-based employment, entrepreneurship and innovation.
