The Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has started a 3-month advanced digital skills training for 850 young people in the state. The goal is to help them learn modern digital skills to succeed in today’s world. The training program is called TechRise Cohort 2.
Earlier in May, the state had trained 510 young people in the first phase of the program, called TechRise Cohort 1. From that group, 19 top-performing participants were given jobs in the Abia State Civil Service.
At the launch event, Governor Otti said that the TechRise program shows how serious his government is about helping young people succeed.
The Governor, who was represented by Uzor Nwachukwu, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, encouraged the trainees to make good use of the opportunity. He said they should aim to become business owners, inventors, and job creators who will help improve Abia’s economy.
He added, “This is the second group we are training, with 850 young people — 50 from each local government area.”
“Our goal is to make Abia a center of digital excellence. We want our youth not only to use technology but also to create it.”
Lady Oge Maduka, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, said the 850 participants were chosen from over 8,000 people who applied. She described the training as the beginning of an exciting and life-changing journey.
Afuruobi, the Chairman of Umunneochi Local Government Area, spoke on behalf of other chairmen. He thanked Governor Otti for giving young people in Abia the chance to learn ICT skills.
Afuruobi advised the trainees to take the training seriously. He urged them to have the strong and determined spirit that Igbo people are known for and work toward becoming employers in the future.
Chibueze Ukaegbu, the CEO of LearnFactory Nigeria and the technical coordinator of the TechRise project, said the trainees will learn valuable technical skills. They will focus on 10 modern digital skills that are in high demand around the world.
Some trainees, including Joshua Emezue and Ngozi Friday, said they hope to improve their ICT skills and become self-employed after completing the training.
