Addis Abeba — A joint initiative between Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) dubbed "5 Million Ethiopian Coders" is launched today in Addis Abeba in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, his deputy Temesgen Tiruneh, and senior officials from the UAE.

"The 5 Million Ethiopian Coders Initiative we launch today is a great opportunity... I call upon everyone to encourage the youth to register for the program, gain skills, and acquire international certification," PM Abiy said in a message posted on his social media networks.

The joint initiative, which is an offshoot of a proposal by by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoumm, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at the 2017 World Economic Forum under the "One Million Arab Coders" program, aims to provide basic digital literacy training to 5 million Ethiopian youth by 2026 with a target if making at least 50% of the trainees to be young women.

The training programs are expected to equip youth from all regions, with a focus on rural areas by partnering with schools, TVET institutes, and other centers to integrate training into the schools' curriculum, according to the stated objectives of the joint initiative.

Ethiopian learners will "gain foundational level skills across three domains: Programming Fundamentals, Data Science Fundamentals, and Android Kotlin Developer Fundamentals. Learners will be supported by mentors who will support them on a dedicated Community Platform to unblock technical questions daily throughout the 6-7 week course. Upon successful course completion, learners will be awarded skill-based certifications."

PM Abiy further remarked that the 5 million Ethiopian coders will not only "create innovative local solutions but also become a beacon of hope for our continent."