Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation Sam Nartey George has noted that the government of Ghana has signed strategic partnerships with technological giants Huawei and Google.

Updating the members of the general public on the various initiatives taken by his ministry to develop the communication sector as part of the Government Accountability Series on Friday, August, he made this information known.

“In the period under review, we have signed strategic partnerships with Huawei and Google. We entered into a formal partnership arrangement with these technology giants to drive deeper integration between policy research and practical innovation,” Sam Nartey George said.

He noted that these partnerships will see both Google and Huawei train 100,000 beneficiaries each under the One Million Coders Programme.

“This represents a deliberate move to prepare students for the evolving demands of the digital technology economy under President John Dramani Mahama,” the Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation Minister further remarked.

Mr Sam Nartey George expressed gratitude to the two organisations and clarified that the programme will be both online and in person.

“My gratitude goes to both technology giants, Huawei and Google for their belief in the John Dramani Mahama vision. This Google certificate and Huawei training programme are going to be a mix of in-person and online training programmes and so we will be rolling out the programme very soon in every constituency in the country to allow for people to take this training.”

He added, “the beauty of the Google 100,000 training is Google already has its AI research lab in Ghana, and what we are trying to do is train the people using Google’s certification Programme and then, on the back of that, get them employed to work with Google or any of its partners and affiliates.

In April this year, Mr Sam Nartey George revealed that the government was in talks with an American technology company, Google and an online marketplace, Amazon, over the implementation of the One Million Coders Programme in Ghana.

Speaking to the media on Monday, April 14 he noted that both parties are almost at the final stage with rolling out the initiative.

According to him, government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MTN, under which the telecom giant will provide crucial support for the initiative.

"We’re almost done with an agreement with Google to run their program. We're also talking to Amazon about that. And so these are all specialized courses and verticals that are going to come on stream.

"We have the conversation—we’ve signed an MOU with MTN where MTN is also going to be doing some critical support," he added.

Sam George highlighted Ghana's commitment to a digital future, emphasizing the country’s dedication to fostering economic growth, innovation, and job creation. He also pointed out that MTN’s decision to establish its second AI lab in Africa plays a key role in this vision, with Ghana being selected as the hub.

Sam George added that Ghana has been selected as the location for MTN's second artificial intelligence (AI) lab in Africa. According to him, the decision to establish the second lab in Ghana underscores the nation's growing influence in AI research and technological innovation.

Sam George described the new lab as a “center of excellence,” aimed at driving advancements in AI, machine learning, and digital transformation. The opening of the AI lab is anticipated to foster collaboration among tech leaders, researchers, and innovators, further strengthening Ghana’s expanding digital ecosystem.

One Million Coders Programme

The Government of Ghana on April 16 officially launched the One Million Coders Programme at the Kofi Annan ICT Centre in a bid to position young Ghanaians for the digital economy through skills development in coding and digital technology.

Interest in Ghana’s newly launched One Million Coders Programme surged beyond expectations, with over 91,000 applications received on that fateful day, far exceeding the initial target of 260 participants.

Samuel Nartey George revealed the figures during the official launch of the programme.

"We planned to do the pilot with 260 students but within the first four hours of announcing, we had over 4,000 applications. We decided to do a double track and do 520. As at this morning, the number of applications we have received is 91,847 applications,” he said.

“This speaks to the visionary nature of your [President’s] plan and vision to transform our digital ecosystem,” the minister added, addressing the president at the event.

The initiative began with a pilot phase across four regions—Greater Accra, Ashanti, Bono, and Upper East—bringing together over 500 participants from Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani, and Bolgatanga for the inaugural ceremony.

The One Million Coders Programme is designed to train one million youth across the country in critical digital skills that will make them competitive in emerging sectors such as business process outsourcing (BPO) and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO).

President John Dramani Mahama has encouraged young Ghanaians to take charge of the One Million Coders programme and use it as a stepping stone into the world of innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital opportunity.

Speaking at the national launch of the initiative on April 16, Mr Mahama called on the youth to embrace the programme as their own, underscoring its potential to open doors in the fast-evolving global digital space.

“To the youth of Ghana, I say this programme is for you. Take it and own it,” he urged. “Let this be your launchpad into innovation, entrepreneurship and global relevance. Let this be the bridge between your dreams and the opportunities of the digital age.”

“You are not just participants in this initiative, you are the architects of Ghana’s digital future. In the next phase, we will activate training centres at community information centres across all metropolitan municipal and district assemblies,” he revealed.