The government has distributed 650 laptops to eleven Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Northern Region to strengthen digital skills development under the One Million Coders Programme.
The laptops were officially received and handed over by the Northern Regional Minister, Ali Adolf John, at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council on Wednesday.
The intervention forms part of a nationwide initiative implemented by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications under the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, and championed by John Dramani Mahama, to equip one million Ghanaians with digital and coding skills.
The distribution targets assemblies across the Northern Region, including the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Sagnarigu Municipality, and the Tamale Innovation Centre, which received 100 laptops each. Meanwhile, Nanumba North Municipality, Nanumba South District, Kumbungu District, Yendi Municipality, Saboba District, Nanton District, and Mion District each received 50 laptops.
The initiative aims to bridge the digital divide, enhance access to technology, and support training in coding and digital skills, particularly among young people, thereby improving service delivery, education, entrepreneurship, and governance at the local level.
The Regional Minister stated that the intervention goes beyond the provision of devices and is designed to prepare citizens for opportunities in the digital economy and urged beneficiary assemblies to ensure proper utilisation and maintenance of the laptops.
The Regional Manager of GIFEC, Abdul Fatawu Salifu, explained that the devices were procured by the government to support capacity building and digital literacy programmes within the assemblies.
He encouraged the youth to register through district coordinators or the programme’s online platform to benefit from the initiative.
Faustina Naa Ayele Johnson -ISD
