From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The long-awaited “Train and Employ” digital skills acquisition programme for youths from Greater Awgu enclave is set to commence on Monday, February 2, at the Digital Bridge Institute, Ibagwa Nike, Enugu.
The first batch of the programme will involve 50 unemployed graduates drawn from Aninri, Awgu and Oji River local government areas, out of the 300 youths already selected for the initiative.
Participants will receive training in cyber security, digital marketing, call centre management and software engineering. They will also be provided with basic working tools, including laptops, as well as monthly stipends throughout the training period.
The training is expected to last between three and six months and comes with a guarantee of automatic employment for successful trainees who demonstrate strong competence in their chosen digital skills after completion.
Subsequent batches of 50 youths each will undergo the same training process at the same centre until all 300 selected participants are covered.
The facilitator of the programme, Dr. Ezenwa A. A. Onyirimba, disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu on Saturday, January 31, 2026. He explained that the initiative is part of his efforts to empower youths from Greater Awgu with relevant digital skills that will enable them to participate effectively in the emerging global economy.
Dr. Onyirimba commended the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC-controlled Federal Government for approving what he described as a laudable programme for unemployed Nigerian youths, noting that it offers them the opportunity to acquire modern skills needed to thrive in the digital economy or become self-reliant.
He also expressed gratitude to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr. Bosun Tijani, for approving the programme.
At the initial orientation for the 300 selected youths held at Hanef Event Centre, Oji River Local Government Area, on August 23, 2025, the President/CEO of Digital Bridge Institute, Dr. Daser David, represented by the Head of the Enugu Campus, Engr. Daniel Chinagozie, disclosed that there was capacity to train and employ up to 50,000 Nigerian youths to compete in the global digital market within the next two years.
He noted that the training programme for the 300 graduates from Greater Awgu enclave gives them the opportunity to be among the first beneficiaries of the initiative.
Engr. Chinagozie urged participants to make effective use of the training period to acquire digital competencies that would position them for the 50,000 lucrative digital job opportunities created by the institute’s foreign partners for Nigerians.
His words, “We are targeting at training and engaging 50,000 youths across Nigeria within the next two years. And our plan is to train them on skills like business process outsourcing skills because these are skills that our partners in the US and other countries have need for. We are training them on digital marketing, software development, cyber security so that they can work in some of our cyber security operation centres across the country.”
