There was a moment of mild tension and subtle sarcasm during the vetting of Deputy Minister of Communications, Hon Mohammed Adam Sukparu, when a member of the Parliamentary Appointments Committee from the Minority caucus (NPP side), Hon Jerry Ahmed Shaib, questioned his understanding of a key component of the government’s tech agenda — coding.
Referring to the ruling party’s manifesto and its ambitious promise to train one million Ghanaians in coding, the NPP MP asked bluntly, “Do you know what coding is?”
Sukparu, who was calm in his response, replied, “Yes, I do.”
Pressed to explain further, he said: “Coding is providing training for young men and women in the IT space. Training them in web design, training them in how to build software and what have you. Basically, this is what coding is, Mr. Chairman.”
Though the explanation touched on some aspects of coding, the MP wasn’t entirely convinced and ended with a subtle jab: “Okay, I wish you well. You should understand coding some more, but I wish you well.”
The exchange has since sparked reactions online, with some questioning the Deputy Minister’s depth of knowledge on one of the digital economy’s most critical skills, while others see it as political posturing.
