Interest in Ghana’s newly launched One Million Coders Programme has surged beyond expectations, with over 91,000 applications received as of Wednesday morning, far exceeding the initial target of 260 participants.

The Communications Minister, Samuel Nartey George, revealed the figures during the official launch of the programme at the Kofi Annan ICT Centre in Accra.

"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 pilot rollout covers the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Bono, and Upper East regions, and has drawn more than 500 selected participants from Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani, and Bolgatanga.

To ensure a consistent learning experience nationwide, a standardized digital curriculum has been developed, spanning beginner to advanced levels. It includes training across multiple database systems and digital skill sets.

Among the initial certification tracks available under the pilot are: Certified Cybersecurity Professional, Certified Network Support Technician, Certified Data Protection Manager, Certified Data Protection Expert, Certified Data Protection Officer, Certified Data Protection Professional, and Data Analyst Associate.

The government is also close to finalizing partnerships with global tech giants to enrich 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,” Sam George said in a media interaction on Monday, April 14.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has also been signed with telecommunications firm MTN, which is providing key support for the programme.

As part of this partnership, MTN is set to establish its second artificial intelligence lab in Africa—this time in Ghana. Sam George described the upcoming lab as a “center of excellence,” which will drive innovation in AI, machine learning, and digital transformation.

He noted that Ghana’s selection as the hub for the lab reflects its growing status in the field of AI research and digital innovation.

The Communications Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to a tech-driven future, emphasizing that initiatives like the One Million Coders Programme are central to creating jobs, advancing economic growth, and strengthening Ghana’s digital economy.