By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
About 140,000 people have enrolled nationwide in Ghana’s One Million Coders Programme (OMCP), as the government steps up efforts to expand digital skills and opportunities across the country.
The figure was disclosed during a monitoring exercise of digital infrastructure and connectivity projects in the Eastern Region, which included an inspection of the Koforidua Regional Innovation Centre (RIC), a flagship facility supporting the programme.
The exercise was led by the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, together with the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Tanko Rashid-Computer, Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, and officials from the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Ministry and the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council.
The team also inspected the Dumpong, Obosono and Nsakye Rural Telephony Project sites, as well as the Odumase and Somanya Community ICT Centres.
The inspection of the Koforidua RIC highlighted the importance of reliable connectivity to digital skills development, particularly for communities outside Ghana’s major urban centres.
Ghanaians are encouraged to register for the One Million Coders Programme free of charge using their Ghana Card through the programme’s registration platform.
The monitoring exercise also identified connectivity challenges requiring coordinated interventions to improve rural telephony and expand national coverage.
At Nkumkrom in the Akuapem South District, residents complained of years of poor or no mobile network coverage, saying the situation had made communication and access to digital services difficult.
At Dampong, Mr George assured residents that some rural telephony sites that had gone offline because of technical challenges would be restored.
He also called for all Rural Telephony Project sites across the country to be upgraded to at least 4G.
The Minister said 2G and 3G connectivity were no longer sufficient as technology advanced towards 5G and 6G. He stressed the need for Ghana to invest in telecommunications infrastructure alongside other essential infrastructure such as roads and hospitals.
According to Mr George, upgrading the rural telephony sites would help reduce network congestion and improve mobile services and customer experience.
The government is also projecting that rural communications services will become cheaper than those in urban areas by the first quarter of 2027.
The monitoring exercise forms part of GIFEC’s efforts to bridge the digital divide by expanding electronic communications infrastructure and extending reliable connectivity and digital opportunities to unserved and underserved communities across Ghana.
