UMUAHIA — Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has announced automatic employment for 19 graduates of the TechRise Innovation Hub, in a move aimed at boosting the state’s digital economy and youth employment.
The governor made the announcement on Monday during the graduation ceremony of the third cohort of TechRise fellows held at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia.
He said the 19 graduands who emerged top of the 6-month intensive training program in software engineering, product design, data analytics and digital marketing will be absorbed directly into the Abia State ICT Agency and other government digital initiatives.
“Abia is positioning itself as the tech capital of Nigeria. We cannot train our young people and then leave them to roam the streets. These 19 of you have shown excellence, and government will give you immediate jobs to deploy your skills for the development of our state,” Otti stated.
TechRise Innovation Hub is a flagship program of the Otti administration designed to equip Abia youths with practical tech skills and connect them to job opportunities locally and globally.
The Commissioner for Digital Economy and SMEs, Mr. Nwaka Inem, said the graduands were selected after rigorous assessments and real-world projects executed during the training.
He added that over 200 youths have so far benefited from the program since it began in 2024, with many already working remotely for international firms.
Some of the newly employed graduands expressed appreciation to the governor, promising to use their skills to build solutions that will address challenges in health, education and governance in the state.
The governor also announced plans to expand the program to accommodate 500 youths in the next cohort and to establish TechRise hubs in Aba and Ohafia.
