The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations has presented an additional 2,000 laptops to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) as part of a strategic overhaul of the government’s flagship One Million Coders Programme to target level 300 and level 400 students.
Samuel Nartey George, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, announced the equipment boost and policy realignment during a working visit to the university as part of tour to monitor the Rural Telephony project and the One million Coders Programme in the Ashanti Region.
The new consignment brings the ministry’s total device support for KNUST to 2,500 laptops, expanding the university’s network of dedicated learning hubs to 15 centres across campus.
Under the original Service Level Agreement (SLA) with KNUST, the programme primarily enrolled first-year students.
However, following a curriculum review conducted alongside international experts and a crash programme at Harvard University, he said the ministry decided to refocus training on students preparing to enter the workforce.
”If a level 100 student completes the programme today and decides not to do anything between level 200 and 400, by the time they are leaving the university, there is a lag between the training and implementation,” Hon. Sam George explained, adding, “If we focus this training on our level 400s and 300s, then we are beginning to prepare them for the world of work as they graduate.”
The minister added that the government is collaborating with a team from Harvard to conduct a global skills gap analysis.
According to him, the second tranche of laptops will bring KNUST’s total allocation to 2,500 laptops and 50 training centres.
“KNUST received its first tranche of 500 laptops to support the nationwide rollout of the One Million Coders Programme (OMCP) and I am happy to announce that an additional 2,000 will be deployed to the school,” he said.
“Government has already moved to expand digital skills training across the country and we are not turning back,” the Minister added.
He emphasized that the distribution of laptops forms part of a broader effort to equip institutions and training centres for the programme, which aims to prepare young Ghanaians for opportunities in the global digital economy.
He urged KNUST to lead the charge in government’s quest to transform the nation through the power of technology.
For his part, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Christian Agyare, said the university is ready and will provide all the expertise to support the program.
He noted that the Coders Program targeting Level 300 and 400 students is an excellent idea that will greatly help the students.
He added that the program can help reduce graduate unemployment as students can create opportunities for themselves without relying solely on government.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/ Asare Diana, Kumasi.
