Ethiopia And UAE Expand Digital Skills Programme

Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates have expanded their joint digital skills programme from five million to seven million participants after surpassing the original enrolment target nearly two years ahead of schedule.

The announcement was made in Dubai on 6 July, with the two governments revealing that the 5 Million Ethiopian Coders initiative had recorded 5,005,146 enrolments by June 2026, exceeding the programme’s original target well before its planned completion at the end of the year.

Launched in July 2024, the initiative is one of Africa’s largest digital skills programmes and is designed to equip Ethiopians with coding and technology skills through free online training. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed the milestone, attributing the programme’s rapid growth to strong interest from young people across the country.

“The overwhelming response from Ethiopian youth has been exceptional,” Abiy said, while thanking the UAE for what he described as a strategic partnership in advancing Ethiopia’s digital transformation agenda.

UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi said the initiative demonstrates the impact international partnerships can have in building digital capabilities among young people, positioning the programme as part of the broader cooperation between the two countries on technology and skills development. Neither government disclosed a timeline for achieving the new target of seven million participants.

The programme delivers free online courses through learning platform Udacity, covering subjects including programming fundamentals, data science, Android development and artificial intelligence. Most courses run for between six and seven weeks and are offered in English through schools and technical and vocational institutions across both urban and rural areas.

The initiative also aims to improve gender inclusion, with a target of ensuring that at least half of all participants are women. Learners who complete the courses receive a certificate issued by Udacity. The programme is based on the UAE’s One Million Arab Coders initiative, launched in 2017, and has been adapted for Ethiopia under the country’s Digital Ethiopia strategy.

Its expansion also reflects the strengthening relationship between Ethiopia and the UAE, which has grown beyond digital skills to include broader cooperation in financial services and digital infrastructure. Around the time the coding programme was launched in 2024, the two countries also signed agreements covering a currency swap arrangement and the interoperability of their national payment systems.

While the latest announcement highlights enrolment growth, the two governments did not disclose how many participants have completed the courses or earned certification.

The absence of completion data leaves unanswered questions about the programme’s long-term impact, particularly as large-scale online learning initiatives typically experience significant differences between enrolment and graduation rates.

The programme is intended to help address Ethiopia’s growing demand for digital skills as the country seeks to create employment opportunities for its expanding youth population. Ethiopia produces hundreds of thousands of science and technology graduates each year, many of whom face limited opportunities in the formal labour market.

By expanding access to coding and digital skills, the initiative aims to prepare more Ethiopians for careers in software development, data analytics, artificial intelligence and the global digital economy.

The latest expansion reinforces the programme’s position as one of the continent’s largest state-backed digital skills initiatives and underscores the UAE’s growing role in supporting Ethiopia’s digital transformation efforts. However, its long-term success is likely to be measured not only by enrolment figures, but also by how many learners complete the training and translate those skills into employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.