Some young people trained under the Abia State Government’s TechRise digital skills programme are already working for global technology companies, including Google and Amazon, from Aba, Governor Alex Otti has said.
Otti made the disclosure while outlining his administration’s plans to reposition Abia’s economy from conventional trading towards manufacturing and digital commerce.
The governor spoke during the Igbo Day Lecture and Dinner organised by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide at the Michael Okpara Auditorium in Umuahia on Monday night.
The event, held under the theme “The Igbo Charter and Development of Ala Igbo,” brought together Igbo leaders, business executives, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to discuss development priorities for the South-East.
From Traditional Trading To Digital Commerce
Otti said Abia’s long-standing reputation as a commercial centre was being complemented by a deliberate push towards manufacturing and technology-driven business models.
According to the governor, the transition is intended to help entrepreneurs move beyond dependence on physical markets and participate more directly in the global digital economy.
He said the state was supporting manufacturing while also promoting digital delivery as part of its economic development strategy.
“In Abia, we have markets; the markets are important. But we are moving from the market to manufacturing. So, this Government is supporting manufacturing. We are driving digital delivery. We are leaving that physical store for digital delivery,” Otti said.
The governor said the shift towards digital commerce would allow businesses operating from Abia to reach customers and markets beyond the physical locations where they traditionally operate.
He described the transition as necessary for businesses seeking to remain competitive as global commerce increasingly incorporates technology and digital platforms.
“Abia is both manufacturing and then trading. But we are moving from conventional trading to digital trading. That’s where the world is going. You either embrace it or you risk being left behind,” he stated.
TechRise And Digital Skills
Otti also highlighted the TechRise initiative as part of his administration’s investment in digital skills development among young people in the state.
The governor said some of those trained under the programme had progressed to working for international technology companies while remaining based in Aba.
“When I spend money here training my young people in digital technology under the TechRise initiative, I know what I am doing. Some of them are already working for Google and Amazon from Aba,” Otti said.
The governor did not provide the number of TechRise trainees currently working for the companies or specify their individual roles in the statement.
However, he presented the reported outcomes as an example of how digital skills training can create opportunities for young people to participate in the global technology economy without necessarily relocating outside the state.
The programme forms part of a broader emphasis by the state government on technology and digital skills as components of economic development.
Building A Technology-Driven Economy
Otti said Abia was determined to expand the role of technology in business and economic development while maintaining manufacturing and traditional commercial activity.
The approach outlined by the governor combines manufacturing with digital commerce, with technology serving as a means of connecting businesses and skilled workers to wider markets.
The governor also used the occasion to emphasise the importance of adapting to changing patterns of global business.
His remarks came amid discussions at the Igbo Day event on the future of economic development across the South-East and the need for Ndigbo to develop practical strategies for collective growth.
Igbo Charter Focuses On Development
In a virtual keynote address at the event, the Chairman of the Igbo Charter Committee for Strategic Engagement for National Development, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, called for the adoption of the Igbo Charter as a non-partisan development roadmap.
Moghalu said implementation should be guided by merit, accountability and measurable targets.
He identified several priorities, including promotion of the Igbo language, establishment of a digital marketplace, stronger diaspora engagement, improved security and investment, and a shift from dependence on remittances towards productive investments.
He also advocated true federalism, equitable citizenship and devolution of powers, while urging Ndigbo to move from discussions to practical implementation.
Moghalu also commended Otti’s administration during his address.
The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, said the lecture and dinner was organised to harness the collective strength of Ndigbo through a unified development strategy.
He noted that despite the individual achievements, entrepreneurial spirit and resilience of the Igbo people, their collective potential had yet to be fully realised.
Azuta-Mbata said the Igbo Charter for Strategic Engagement for National Development, developed by more than 67 Igbo technocrats and business leaders, provides a framework for engaging the Nigerian state and the international community.
He also highlighted the protection of Igbo culture and language as part of the Charter’s objectives and proposed that Igbo be made compulsory in primary and secondary schools across Igboland.
Focus On Aba’s Emerging Digital Economy
Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, who chaired the occasion, urged Ndigbo to focus on practical steps towards developing Ala Igbo.
He called for a shift from complaints about perceived disadvantages towards initiatives that would allow the region to take greater control of its economic future.
The discussions at the event placed technology and digital commerce alongside manufacturing, investment, culture, security and political development as areas requiring attention in the broader development of the South-East.
For Abia, the TechRise programme represents part of the state government’s stated effort to build digital skills among young people and connect them with opportunities in the technology economy.
Otti’s disclosure that some trainees are already working for global technology companies from Aba also points to the possibility of technology-enabled employment being carried out from within the state rather than requiring workers to relocate to major international technology centres.
The governor said the administration would continue to support the transition towards manufacturing and digital commerce, arguing that businesses and young people who embrace technology can participate in an increasingly connected global economy.
The remarks have placed TechRise and the wider digital economy push within Abia’s broader economic development agenda, with the state seeking to combine its established commercial base with manufacturing and technology-driven opportunities.