Governor Otti Flags Off Abia TechRise Cohort 2 in Aba as Aba North Chairman Hon. Timothy Kalu Iheke Joins Leaders to Witness Youth Digital Empowerment Launch

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, has officially flagged off the Abia TechRise Cohort 2, 2025 Training Programme, a transformative initiative designed to equip youths with essential digital skills to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.

The three-month intensive training, themed “Redefining the Future,” will empower 850 youths drawn from the 17 Local Government Councils with world-class skills in Software Development, Coding, Animation, Data Engineering, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence fundamentals, and other digital competencies.

The launch event, which held in Aba, was attended by key government officials, including the Executive Chairman of Aba North Local Government Area, Hon. Timothy Kalu Iheke, who joined his counterparts in witnessing the historic moment.

This second edition builds on the success of the maiden cohort, completed in May 2025, where 510 youths graduated, and the 19 best-performing trainees were offered automatic employment into the Abia State Civil Service by Governor Otti.

Declaring the event open, Governor Otti, represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Sir Uzor Nwachukwu, described the initiative as more than a training exercise but a bold statement of his administration’s “unwavering commitment to empowering the next generation and diversifying the State’s economy.”

“Today marks a defining moment in our state’s journey towards a brighter, more prosperous future. We are lighting the fuse of innovation and igniting the potential of our greatest assets: our young people.”

The Governor stressed that the programme is designed to bridge the widening digital skills gap, warning that without deliberate intervention, “the digital divide will perpetuate cycles of unemployment and limit our political growth.”

“This training is our commitment to empowering youths, our greatest resource, with the essential digital skills needed to thrive in this new landscape.

“Our vision is to transform our state into a hub of digital excellence, a place where young people are not just beneficiaries of technology, but creators of technology.

“This three-month intensive training programme addresses a critical gap: the disparity between the skills of our young people and the demands of the modern job market. Without such intervention, this digital divide will perpetuate cycles of unemployment and limit our political growth.

“Over the next three months, you, the participants, will be equipped with job-ready digital skills, from basic literacy to advanced applications.

“This training will make you highly employable in a competitive marketplace. We are not training you to simply find jobs, but we are training you to create jobs. You will be empowered to become entrepreneurs, innovators, and job creators contributing to our local economy.”

Governor Otti further urged participants to seize the life-changing opportunity, noting that with digital skills, they would be able to compete globally, attract foreign exchange, and contribute to stabilising Abia’s economy.

“With these skills, you will be able to complete jobs and projects from anywhere in the world, bringing in foreign exchange and stabilising our economy. This is a life-changing opportunity for all of you that should not be taken for granted.”

In his remarks on behalf of the Local Government Chairmen, Hon. Sunday Afuruobi, Chairman of Umunneochi LGA, commended the Governor for providing youths with ICT-driven empowerment opportunities. He urged participants to adopt the can-do spirit of Ndigbo and work towards becoming employers of labour.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Lady Oge Maduka, described the programme as a transformative boot camp that fosters innovation, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship within the digital economy. She revealed that out of over 8,000 applicants, only 850 finalists were selected, thanking the Governor and the 17 Local Government Mayors for sponsoring the programme.

The event also featured a short documentary, “The Journey So Far,” highlighting the successes of TechRise 1.0 and 2.0, presented by Engr. Chibueze Ukaegbu, CEO of LearnFactory Nigeria.

With the support of leaders such as Aba North’s Hon. Timothy Kalu Iheke and other LG Chairmen, the TechRise initiative continues to stand as a cornerstone of Governor Otti’s agenda to redefine Abia’s future through technology, skills development, and youth empowerment.