The Federal Government has trained 900 youths in Enugu State in critical digital skills, focusing on emerging areas such as cybersecurity, data science, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Abdullahi, disclosed this during an address at the ongoing Enugu Tech Festival (ETF) 2026.
The second edition of the festival (ETF 2.0), themed “Coal to Code: Energy in New Form,” is taking place from February 24 to 27, 2026.
Abdullahi, represented by the Director of Stakeholder Management and Partnership, Dr. Aristotle Onumo, described the training as a key component of the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, the programme is designed to cultivate talent and equip young Nigerians with in-demand digital skills for empowerment and economic participation.
He highlighted that among the 900 trainees, 50 outstanding participants demonstrated exceptional dedication, resilience, and excellence.
“These 50 young innovators will not just receive digital tools; they will be receiving instruments of transformation,” Abdullahi said.
“These tools represent opportunity; they represent empowerment; they represent the confidence that Nigeria believes in them.
“But more importantly, they represent responsibility—the responsibility to build solutions, create value, and transform communities.
“This is the new energy of Enugu. Not coal, but code. Not extraction, but innovation. Not limitation, but possibility. And this is only the beginning,” he added.
The NITDA boss reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to creating pathways for young Nigerians to develop globally competitive solutions.
He also pointed to platforms such as the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition—the largest government-led tech event in the country—and GITEX Nigeria, where innovators can showcase ideas to global investors, attract funding, and scale beyond national borders.
“The message is clear: your innovation can go global,” he said.
“To the young people here today, who will be the recipients of these digital tools, I want you to understand something profound: you are not just learning skills—you are shaping the future,” Abdullahi concluded.
In a goodwill message, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, urged youths to seize every opportunity offered by digital training programmes, conferences, and tech-innovation networks.
Maida commended Governor Peter Mbah’s vision of positioning Enugu State’s future on technology and Artificial Intelligence-driven infrastructure in security, education, administration, the judiciary, and healthcare.
“You must keep supporting your governor, His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah, for his vision and foresight into tech-innovation and for encouraging youths to be passionate about digitization, tech-innovation, and becoming problem solvers,” he said.
The high point of the event was the presentation of brand-new laptops to the 50 top-performing trainees by NITDA, symbolizing the government’s investment in youth-led digital transformation.
The initiative aligns with broader national efforts to bridge the digital skills gap, empower the next generation, and reposition Nigeria—and states like Enugu—as active participants in the global digital economy.
