Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has approved automatic employment into the state civil service for 19 outstanding graduates of the TechRise ICT Skills Development Programme.

The governor also approved a ₦100,000 cash grant for each of the 850 young people who graduated from the third cohort of the programme.

Otti announced the approvals during the graduation ceremony held in Umuahia, where the participants completed a three-month intensive training in information and communication technology.

He said the decision to employ the 19 best-performing graduates was aimed at retaining exceptional talents and deploying their skills to improve public service delivery in the state.

The governor also directed that the laptops used by the 850 graduates during the training should become their personal property to support their continued learning and professional development.

In addition, Otti said the state government would introduce a special salary structure for ICT professionals in the civil service and integrate qualified TechRise graduates into government ICT projects.

He urged the young graduates to continue developing their skills, turn their knowledge into viable businesses and create solutions that would benefit society.

The governor also praised a team of participants who developed a functional drone during the programme, promising government support to help move the innovation from concept to commercial reality.

Otti further disclosed plans to establish international-standard ICT examination and certification centres in Abia and expand internet access across the state through a partnership with MTN.

The TechRise programme has now trained more than 2,000 young people across three cohorts, as part of the Abia State Government’s efforts to prepare youths for opportunities in the digital economy.