The Governor of Imo State,  Senator Hope Uzodimma has said that the New World Order is about digital economy, just as digital literacy, he insists, is the real literacy.

The Governor made the remarks at the Skill-Up Imo Project Cohort I, Batch I, Graduation Ceremony of 5,000 Imo youths at the Landmark Event Centre, in Owerri on Wednesday.

Addressing the granduands and their invited guests, the Governor congratulated them for accepting the programme and for showing determination to participate in it which he said “has snowballed in the graduation of the first batch of 5,000 out of the proposed 300,000 youths.”

He said the Skill-Up Imo Project represents three things; Technology, Opportunity and the People, explaining that “the New World order is about Digital Economy and Digital Literacy is the real Literacy which is all about technology.”

Governor Uzodimma who added that the Skill-Up Imo Project gives the youth the opportunity to learn a skill that can make them earn a living for life further noted that “the third aspect of the entire programme is about the person which is the Imo future and the Imo of tomorrow and that is the youths.”

The governor added flavour to the graduation ceremony when he announced that 2,500 of the granduands will go home with Brand New Modern Laptops while the other 2,500 will go home with various Start-Up Kits on their areas of Skills specialization with a promise  that soon, the programme will graduate another batch.

Governor Uzodimma emphasized that with the progamme, the beneficiaries can become self-employed and even employers of labour.

“When many of the youths must have acquired skills and being employed it will bring an end to the activities of banditry, and unknown gunmen and in fact, other social vices in Imo State and Nigeria in general.”

He then charged the granduands and all Imo youths not to “forget where they are coming from, but rather, go out there to be good ambassadors, God fearing, humble and to be themselves.”

In rounding off his remarks, the governor commended the efforts of the Commissioner for Digital Economy and E-Government, Dr. Chimezie Amadi for living up to the dream of the project.

He also commended the Special Guest of Honour, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami for seconding Dr. Amadi to the Imo State Government, expressing satisfaction that the Minister is not disappointed in his expectations from Amadi based on what happened at the graduation ceremony.

In his remarks,  Prof. Pantami congratulated the Governor for coming up with the initiative and expressed happiness to be in Imo State to witness the graduation of 5,000 Skill-Up graduates.

Prof. Pantami said from what he saw, Dr. Amadi has been able to coordinate properly the activities in the two areas of Hard and Soft Skill Courses.

He said that “the programme will provide Skill on employment for the youths at the National and International levels, create potential job employers instead of job employees,” and emphasized that “today’s world economy is driven by Digital Innovation and Digital Entrepreneurship.”

Prof. Pantami challenged the Nigerian leaders on the need to ‘’think out of the box on how to solve the problem of unemployment through the digital economy,” noting that “the world economy is no more based on natural resources, rather on digital technology initiatives.”

He noted that the “training is a foundation for the youths to base their life expectations and not the end of the journey to their successes in life,” adding that “the youths must have passion for invention, customers intercity and long time thinking.”

The Minister then urged Imo youths to continue to partake in critical thinking so that the future world critical thinkers will emerge from Imo State and Nigeria in general.

In his welcome address,  the Commissioner for Digital Economy and E-Government, Dr. Chimezie Amadi thanked the Governor for the Skill-Up initiative, insisting that the graduation of 5,000 participants was the brain child of Governor Uzodimma whom, he said, encouraged his Ministry to take responsibility and implement the project.

Dr. Amadi said the programme is a subset of Imo Economic Agenda (2022-2026) which has the target of Up-Skilling Imo youths by providing free training and support to 300,000 of them in new innovation that would equip them to be productively employed or self-employed.

The Commissioner informed that the project draws its inspiration from the National Digital Economy and that “Imo is the first State in the Federation to draw from it which is aimed at reducing youth unemployment.”

He used the opportunity to thank government partners, including Zinox Computer, assuring that “with what Imo is doing now it will surely emerge as the Africa’s Digital Skills Hub through massive training of Imolites from all works of live in the areas of Digital Literacy Skills.”

In their appreciation, Mr. Ikechukwu Ukonu who is the Chairman of the College of Course representatives, poured encomium on the Governor and the Commissioner for giving them the opportunity to be part of the Skill-Up Project, saying it has provided them with life opportunity.

He promised that they will support the Governor in his programmes and policies  through the polling booths.

The Governor was joined at the event by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Placid Njoku, the Chief of Staff, Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie and members of the State Expanded Executive Council.

The Vice Chancellor Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Prof. Nnenna Otti, the Vice Chancellor of K.O. Mbadiwe University, Ideato,  Prof. Ikechukwu Dozie, the Chairman Imo Elders Council, HRH Eze (Dr.) Cletus Ilomuanya and other traditional rulers were also in attendance.

The highpoints of the ceremony was the presentation of Start-Up Kits to some of the graduates by the Governor assisted by the Minister.