Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has launched the MyImo App, a digital platform designed to enhance communication between the state government and citizens, while also empowering 10,000 youths with digital tools under the SkillUp Imo Project (Cohort 3).
The event, held at the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre, Owerri, also marked the graduation of the new cohort of trainees under the government’s flagship digital empowerment programme.
Uzodimma said the initiative was part of his administration’s vision to Reconstruct, Rehabilitate, and Recover the state through innovation, youth empowerment, and digital transformation.
He explained that the state created the Ministry of Digital Economy and E-Government to prepare Imo citizens for global competitiveness in the digital age.
“We realised that the real economy in the world is the digital economy. Today, we are proud to have 10,000 more young Imo citizens and 320 senior civil servants trained digitally, in addition to the 40,000 already empowered,” he said.
The governor revealed plans to build the Imo Digital City, which will host Nigeria’s first state-level Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute, Robotics and Business Process Outsourcing hub, Innovation Labs, and Digital Learning Centres.
He described the MyImo App as a home-grown innovation built entirely by SkillUp Imo graduates, aimed at improving access, service delivery, and accountability within the state.
Uzodimma urged the beneficiaries to use their skills to create opportunities for themselves and others, adding:
“Be solution-minded. Build with purpose. Think of your community and ask: how can technology make things better?”
In his goodwill message, APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, praised the initiative as a “renewal of hope” for Nigerian youths, noting that “skills are the oil field of the future.”
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, commended Uzodimma’s visionary leadership, describing the project as aligned with the ministry’s renewed focus on technical and vocational training for job creation and national development.
Also speaking, Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Sen. John Enoh, said the programme aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in promoting digitalisation and economic diversification.
Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, lauded the initiative as a “celebration of progress, innovation, and empowerment,” adding that the Federal Government would explore funding and partnership frameworks to support digital entrepreneurship among Nigerian youths.
The Commissioner for Digital Economy and E-Government, Dr. Chimezie Amadi, disclosed that the SkillUp Imo Project had so far trained more than 50,000 citizens in areas such as software engineering, AI, blockchain, cybersecurity, fintech, and digital marketing.
“Those who started with curiosity are now coders, data analysts, digital entrepreneurs, and innovators, ready to compete globally,” he said.
Laptops and other digital equipment were distributed to the beneficiaries, marking another milestone in Imo’s drive toward becoming a leading digital innovation hub in Nigeria.
