Ethiopia's Five Million Coders training program is successfully creating opportunities for citizens to secure remote employment in various countries worldwide, according to Muferihat Kamil, the Minister of Labor and Skills.
The program, officially known as the Five Million Ethiopian Coders training, was launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) in July 2024 (Ethiopian calendar) with the goal of equipping citizens with fundamental digital skills in areas such as web programming, Android development, data science, and artificial intelligence.
Since its inception, a significant number of young Ethiopians have been participating in the online training. The program aims to enhance their capabilities, generate additional job prospects, and integrate them into the contemporary digital technology landscape.
Minister Muferihat Kamil highlighted Ethiopia's inherent potential to foster a conducive environment for youth entrepreneurship and employment.
She emphasized the importance of guiding this potential through knowledge and skills, enabling young people to enter the workforce equipped with up-to-date technological proficiency. The Minister noted that the government has been actively working to create job opportunities for the youth by upgrading technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions with qualified trainers and necessary infrastructure.
According to the Minister, TVET institutions in the country train an average of up to 3.5 million citizens annually.
She also detailed the ministry's efforts through its business development program, which provides psychological and technical training to young people. These initiatives contributed to the creation of job opportunities for 3.4 million citizens within the first nine months of the current budget year.
Furthermore, Minister Muferihat revealed that Ethiopia has entered into foreign employment agreements with several countries, resulting in overseas job opportunities for 344,000 citizens during the same nine-month period.
In an effort to keep pace with technological advancements, she stated that a curriculum aligned with the demands of 21st-century artificial intelligence is being developed to ensure young people acquire essential digital technology skills.
The Minister specifically credited the Five Million Ethiopian Coders training program with elevating the digital technology capacity of the youth, which has directly led to remote work opportunities from different countries. She highlighted that the courses offered are internationally recognized and confirmed that the program has already assisted 45,000 citizens in obtaining remote jobs abroad.
Minister Muferihat concluded by noting increasing demand from companies in various countries, indicating that Ethiopian youth who build the required technological capacity through such programs are well-positioned to enter the global workforce, ENA reported.