The Abia Government has approved the employment of 50 outstanding TechRise Information and Communication Technology (ICT) graduates into the state civil service.
Gov. Alex Otti made the announcement on Saturday during the TechRise Cohort 2 graduation ceremony in Umuahia. He directed the Head of Service to begin their documentation, noting that the recruitment would follow due process and require valid credentials.
Otti said the employment embargo was temporarily lifted to accommodate the 50 graduates and would be reinstated after the exercise. He also announced that 849 graduates of the programme would receive laptops to support their professional development. Prize winners will receive an additional N100,000 cash reward for outstanding performance.
The governor further approved N50,000 as Christmas support for each graduate and directed the provision of transportation to their local government headquarters.
“The TechRise programme reflects our administration’s belief that Abia’s future depends on the creativity and potential of its youth,” Otti said. He added that the graduation increased the total beneficiaries trained under TechRise in 12 months to 1,359.
Otti noted that the graduates would provide critical manpower for the state’s ongoing digital transformation drive. He described TechRise as a strategic investment in human capital aimed at promoting innovation, job creation, and efficient service delivery in Abia.
The governor said participants acquired skills in full-stack development, cybersecurity, mobile app development, data analytics, and Artificial Intelligence engineering. He urged the graduates to continually update their skills and deploy them to improve the state’s economy.
Otti commended relevant ministries and the 17 local government councils for effective inter-agency collaboration in the success of the programme.
In his speech, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Uzor Nwachukwu, described TechRise as an advanced digital skills programme for Abia youths, implemented in partnership with LearnFactory Nigeria.
The Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr David Kalu, encouraged graduates to leverage policies such as the Abia Startup Law to drive innovation and entrepreneurship. “You are now qualified for good jobs, but I challenge you to think bigger and start your own ventures,” he said.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Mr Nwaobilor Ananaba, described the graduates as agents of change and urged them to apply their skills to become job creators within the state and the nation.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of LearnFactory Nigeria, Mr Chibueze Ukegbu, said the programme focused on skills, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Ukegbu, who also coordinates TechRise, expressed confidence that the programme had prepared graduates to make meaningful contributions to societal growth.
The event featured project presentations, certificate awards, and a minute of silence in memory of a deceased participant, Princewill Ogbunna.
