Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has said his administration is laying a durable, practical and forward-looking foundation with the Skill-Up Imo Programme.
The governor spoke at the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre, Owerri, during the graduation of another 10,000 Imo young men and women who recently completed their digital training under Cohort 3 of the Skill-Up Imo Project.
Recall that 40,000 had earlier been trained in Cohorts 1 and 2 in software engineering, AI, cyber security, and digital marketing, among other subjects, with many of them either gainfully employed in digital technology outside Imo State or self-employed.
During the ceremony, the governor unveiled a digital device known as MyImoApp to enable people to engage with the government seamlessly for services such as land record verification, documentation, tax payments, emergency reporting, and business promotion from anywhere in the world.
Addressing the participants, the governor expressed happiness over his administration’s earlier resolve to focus on digital skill acquisition, youth empowerment and placing the state at the forefront of the 21st-century digital economy.
He said the administration remains committed to supporting the growth of young men and women through access, mentorship, finance and infrastructure.
“We are not casually training people; we are laying practical, durable and forward-facing foundations,” the governor said.
He added, “We are building our Imo Digital City, which will host Nigeria’s first state-level Artificial Intelligence Institute, a Robotics and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) hub, Innovation Labs, Digital Learning Centres, and a Digital Entrepreneurship Centre designed to serve real needs and unlock real value.”
In his remarks, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, commended the governor for the milestone and declared that he was taking the right direction.
In his goodwill message, the minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, congratulated the governor for coming up with the initiative, stressing that the programme was “a testament to the foresighted leadership of Governor Uzodimma, which aligns with Nigeria’s development goals, digitisation and Industrial growth of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
