MTN Group has formalised a landmark agreement with the Ghanaian government to support the ambitious 'One Million Coders Program'.
The initiative, aimed at equipping the nation's youth with foundational skills in artificial intelligence, coding, and digital technologies, was officially announced during the Mobile World Congress 2025 held in Barcelona.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Samuel Nartey George, Ghana’s Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, and MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita.
George described the programme as a flagship initiative of the newly inaugurated administration under President John Mahama, emphasizing the government's commitment to fostering digital excellence through targeted partnerships.
“We engaged with the MTN Group and expressed our desire for a partnership that will lead to fuel the capacity of young Ghanaians in the area of artificial intelligence, digital technology, data governance and cybersecurity,” George said.
“We recognise that, as part of its 25th anniversary, MTN (Ghana) is making significant investments in Ghana. The MTN building, donated to the government of Ghana, will become one of our centres for excellence for artificial intelligence and software development. We are committed to backing MTN in this endeavour.”
In turn, Mupita expressed gratitude for the partnership opportunity, recognising Ghana’s strategic vision and the enabling environment the government is creating for digital innovation.
“We are very focused on understanding the strategy Ghana has and how we as MTN Group and MTN Ghana can support it,” he said.
“We thank you for your commitment in terms of creating an enabling environment for us to carry on the work we are doing, very humbly though, to support the building out of the digital ecosystem that will be a catalyst for growth and expansion and meet the socioeconomic objectives of the Ghanaian government.”
The dialogue extended beyond immediate partnership goals; it acknowledged the broader imperative of developing homegrown technological solutions. Mupita underscored that with approximately 3 000 languages spoken across the African continent, it is crucial for Africans to cultivate their own large language models using generative AI. - Siphelele Dludla