Ghana's government faces a steep climb to meet its goal of training 300,000 people in coding by December 2026. The One Million Coders Programme trained fewer than 1% of applicants in its initial stage. This means the government must massively increase its training capacity, by nearly 350 times, to achieve its target.
The programme began in 2025 with huge interest, attracting nearly 92,000 applications in just 48 hours. However, only 1,000 people were selected for the first training phase. Out of those selected, 859 successfully completed the pilot training across four regions. This initial success rate, representing less than 1% of all applicants, shows the small scale of the beginning compared to the large number of people who want to join.
This initiative is part of Ghana's wider plan to improve its digital economy. The country has been working to build a stronger tech sector and equip its workforce with new skills. The government has increasingly focused on technology training as a way to create jobs and drive economic growth. Past government efforts have also aimed at digital transformation. For example, the government allocated GHS 838 million to the communications ministry in 2025, with GHS 100 million specifically for the coders programme. In 2026, the ministry's budget rose to GHS 1.2 billion, with another GHS 100 million ear-marked for coding training.
The current status of the programme in Phase Two shows improvement. As of May 10, 2026, nearly 120,000 people registered for training. About 30,000 have already been accepted into courses. This shows a 25% acceptance rate in Phase Two, a significant jump from the 1% in the pilot phase. The programme now operates in all 16 regions of Ghana, with one physical training centre in each region. Over 30 different courses are available, ranging from 10 to 250 hours. These courses aim to provide essential digital skills to Ghanaians.
Funding remains a key concern for programme success. While GHS 100 million was allocated to the One Million Coders Programme in both 2025 and 2026, it is not publicly known how much of this money has actually been spent. This lack of clear information makes it hard to be sure if the programme has enough money to support its huge expansion. Despite this, private companies are also helping. MTN has given GHS 2 million, and other tech firms like Google, Telecel, Huawei, Cisco and HP are also involved. The government has purchased 20,000 laptops, with 8,500 already given to different regions and 1,000 sent to universities.
The programme is now much bigger than it was during its pilot. However, questions remain about whether current funding and the ability to deliver training can realistically support the goal of training 300,000 people by the end of 2026. Decision-makers and industry watchers will be looking closely at spending clarity and enrolment numbers in the coming months.