By Sarah Baafi
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Mr. Samuel Nartey George, says the government is on course to roll out the flagship One Million Coders Programme in at least 100 constituencies by the end of the first quarter of 2026, despite prevailing financial constraints.
He made this known on Wednesday, January 22, 2026, during a working visit by Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to the Ministry, where he briefed her on reforms, policy direction, and key digital initiatives being undertaken since his assumption of office.
Mr. Sam George noted that the Ministry, which was recently realigned from the former Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation, has “hit the ground running” in line with President John Dramani Mahama’s development agenda, with a strong focus on digital economy transformation and innovation.
“As an ICT Ministry, it was worrying that most of our legislation had not kept pace with technological developments. We have therefore initiated reviews across all agencies under the Ministry,” he stated.
He disclosed that extensive stakeholder consultations have been completed, with every agency under the Ministry undergoing regulatory and operational reviews.
Mr. Sam George announced that the National Communications Authority (NCA) is being repositioned from a traditional telecommunications regulator into a driver of the digital economy, through the transformation of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) into a Digital Economy and Innovation Development Fund, backed by new legislation currently being drafted.
Another major policy intervention underway, according to the Minister, is a Misinformation, Disinformation and Hate Speech Bill, aimed at addressing the growing threats posed by artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and digital misinformation.
“This legislation is being carefully designed to respect constitutional guarantees of free speech, while also protecting citizens from harm,” he explained, adding that the bill will soon be presented to Cabinet.
On the One Million Coders Programme, Mr. Sam George revealed that although the Ministry initially proposed a US$1 billion budget over four years at US$1,000 per trainee, only GH¢100 million was allocated in 2025.
To bridge the funding gap, he said the Ministry mobilised internal resources and strategic partnerships, including proceeds from spectrum sales approved by Cabinet, as well as support from GIFEC and other agencies.
As a result, the Ministry has secured 20,000 custom-built laptops to support the initial rollout of the programme.
“Given the financial realities, we decided to tool up first and engage big tech companies. I am pleased to report that we have signed partnership agreements with Google, MTN, Huawei, and Telecel to support this flagship initiative,” he said.
