Imo Government To Partner Huawei, Microsoft On Digital Skill Acquisition

The Imo state government has disclosed its readiness to commence the second cohort of its digital skills acquisition programme — ‘SkillUpImo Challenge’ — in partnership with some global technology firms.

Sandra Opara, the public relations officer of Imo’s ministry of digital economy and e-government,  in a statement on Wednesday said the second cohort is a continuation of keeping with the vision of making the state the leading digital economy hub of the nation.

The state had graduated about 5,000 youths from the SkillupImo project — a digital empowerment programme — in the first cohort.

Opara revealed that for the second segment, the state would partner with technology companies such as Cisco, Huawei, and Microsoft.

Imo would also partner with the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) for certification and value optimisation of the programme.

“Already in cohort two, 15,000 Imolites are now jostling for 10,000 slots at the ongoing enrolment, a reflection of the realisation of the success of the cohort one training programme,” she said.

“The produced graduands are already monetising their skills as techpreneurs while others have been linked to various employment opportunities.”

Also speaking in the statement, Chimezie Amadi, commissioner for digital economy and e-government, said a pre-admission assessment has been conducted for over 15, 000 prospective trainees who registered for the digital skills training, which he said was oversubscribed.