Ghana: The government plans to use TikTok as a learning tool to train a million coders
As part of its ambitious “One Million Coders” program launched in April 2025, the Ghanaian government is exploring innovative ways to broaden access to digital training. Among these is a potential collaboration with the TikTok platform, currently under discussion, as revealed by Samuel Nartey George, Minister of Communication, Digital Technologies, and Innovation, on 26 June during a meeting with a TikTok delegation led by Tokunbo Ibrahim, Head of Government Relations for West Africa.
The minister welcomed TikTok’s initiative to introduce a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) news feed in Africa. He expressed his desire to partner with the platform to promote educational content from the national program. “We will work with you to use TikTok as a tool for training and learning, beyond mere entertainment,” he stated.
This strategy builds on TikTok’s strong popularity in Ghana. According to the report “Digital 2025: Ghana” published by We Are Social and Meltwater, 81% of internet users aged 16 and over use TikTok every month, making it the second most-used app after WhatsApp. Moreover, 31% of them consider TikTok their favorite platform.
At the same time, the government is also in discussions with local tech start-up TECHAiDE to integrate Asanka, an offline learning solution. This system would help reach areas where internet access remains limited, thus ensuring greater digital inclusion.
The overall goal of the program is to train one million Ghanaians over four years in key areas such as coding, cybersecurity, and data analytics, in order to meet the growing needs of a rapidly expanding tech sector.
However, while discussions have begun, no official agreement has yet been reached with TikTok. In addition, several challenges remain: unequal access to the internet, the high cost of mobile data plans, the availability of suitable smartphones, as well as learners’ concentration and the protection of personal data.
Nevertheless, the initiative reflects Ghana’s determination to rely on innovative and widely used digital tools to address the challenges of training and employability in the digital age.
