Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to youth empowerment through skill acquisition, announcing the expansion of the State’s technology-driven training programme, TechRise, and the establishment of new skills acquisition centres across the State.
Governor Otti disclosed this on Friday when he received in audience the new State Controller of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr (Mrs) Helen Okpara, in his office at Nvosi Isialangwa South LGA.
The Governor said the State Government’s policy on skill acquisition was not only deliberate but central to its long-term development plan aimed at equipping Abia youths with globally competitive technological skills.
“We have taken skill acquisition very seriously. We have even set up a leadership academy and just recently, we inaugurated a technological skills acquisition centre with a board chaired by Professor Ndubuisi Ekekwe, an inventor in the US. I think he produces chips for Apple. But he comes from Isuikwuato,” he said.
The Governor explained that the TechRise programme, which has already trained 510 young people in technology-related fields, currently has another 850 participants drawn from all 17 Local Government Areas of the State.
“As we speak, we have 850 of our young people being trained in a programme we call TechRise. They are locked up for weeks in Aba. The vision is that by the time they are done, they will be available for employment anywhere,” he stated.
According to Governor Otti, the State Government is also setting up new Technological Skills Acquisition Centres in Mgbarakuma, Ubakala in Umuahia South, Ohafia, and Aba to further decentralise training opportunities.
He noted that the State Government’s emphasis on modern technological skills was designed to prepare Abia youths for relevance in the global digital economy.
“For us, we are looking at acquisition of modern skills so that our people can compete globally. In the world of artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, electric vehicles, and driverless cars, the world has moved,” Governor Otti pointed.
The Governor also addressed issues of gender-based violence, directing the Commissioner for Women Affairs to work closely with the State Controller of Labour to strengthen the Government’s response mechanisms.
Governor Otti commended Dr (Mrs) Okpara for her visit and praised the Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Dr Nkiruka Onyejiocha, for her outstanding performance at the Federal level.
Earlier, Dr Okpara applauded the Otti administration for its infrastructural renewal and welfare reforms, describing the improved road network in Aba as a major boost for businesses and industrial operations in the State.
She also commended the recruitment of over 5,000 teachers, the prompt payment of salaries, and the clearing of arrears in the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, adding that the measures have restored stability to the State’s labour environment.
Dr Okpara further advocated stronger collaboration between the State and Federal Governments in addressing child labour and gender-based violence, lamenting that inadequate police cooperation had hindered progress in those areas.
