The Abia State Government has approved the employment of 50 outstanding TechRise Information Communication Technology graduates into the state civil service.
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State announced this on Saturday during the TechRise Cohort 2 graduation ceremony in Umuahia.
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Mr Otti directed the Abia State head of civil service to begin their documentation, adding that the employment would follow due process and require valid credentials.
He stated that the employment embargo in the state civil service had been temporarily lifted to accommodate the 50 graduates.
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The governor also announced that 849 graduates of the programme would receive laptops to support their professional development.
He added that the prize winners would receive an additional N100,000 cash reward for outstanding performance.
N50,000 for Christmas
Mr Otti further approved N50,000 Christmas support for each graduate and also directed the provision of transportation to their local government headquarters.
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He said that the TechRise programme reflected his administration’s belief that Abia’s future depended on the creativity and potential of its youth.
Mr Otti said that the graduation increased the total beneficiaries trained under TechRise in 12 months to 1,359.
The governor noted that the graduates would provide critical manpower for the state’s ongoing digital transformation drive.
Governor Otti described TechRise as a strategic investment in human capital aimed at promoting innovation, job creation and efficient service delivery in Abia.
The governor stated that the participants acquired skills in full-stack development, cybersecurity, mobile app development, data engineering, and Artificial Intelligence.
He urged the graduates to continually update their skills and deploy them to improve the state’s economy.
Mr Otti commended relevant ministries and the 17 local government councils for effective inter-agency collaboration in the success of the programme.
What’s TechRise?
In his speech, the state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Uzor Nwachukwu, described TechRise as an advanced digital skills programme for youths in Abia.
He said that the initiative was implemented by the state government and local government councils in partnership with LearnFactory Nigeria.
The Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, David Kalu, urged graduates to leverage policies like the Abia Startup Law to build innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Yes, you are now qualified for good jobs, and I encourage you to pursue them, but I also challenge you to think bigger and think to start up something new,” Mr Kalu said.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Nwaobilor Ananaba, described the graduates as agents of change.
Mr Ananaba also urged the graduates to apply the skills and knowledge they had gained appropriately to become job creators in the state and the nation at large.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of LearnFactory Nigeria, Chibueze Ukegbu, said the programme focused on skills, leadership and entrepreneurship.
Mr Ukegbu, who is also the coordinator of TechRise, expressed confidence that the programme had refined the graduates into better individuals prepared to make meaningful contributions to societal growth.
The event featured project presentations, certificate awards and observance of a minute of silence for a deceased participant, Princewill Ogbunna.
(NAN)
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