Akwa Ibom youths have been urged to embrace tech and create digital solutions to solve problems.
At ARISE Skills Week, officials praised young girls and innovators like an SS1 student’s Agric-Guard app.
The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Youth Development, Dr. Ekerette Ekanem, has urged young people in the state, particularly young women, to adopt digital innovation and develop tech-driven solutions to address pressing societal challenges.
Speaking during the maiden edition of the ARISE Youth Skills Week, held at the Ibom E-Library in Uyo, Dr. Ekanem encouraged the youth to collaborate on developing applications that address issues in various sectors, including health, education, environment, agriculture, and social welfare.
The event was held in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the United Nations World Youth Skills Day, aligning with the sub-theme: Harnessing Youth Skills for Economic Growth and Innovation in Line with the ARISE Agenda.
“We want young girls coming together, trying to be innovative, creating an app that would proffer solutions to impending or existing problems of a society,” Ekanem said. “It interests me especially when I see young girls do that, because before now, female children did not thrive in that area. But now, they are outstanding.”
He emphasized that Governor Umo Eno’s administration is deeply committed to human capital development and building a future-ready workforce. “One thing about Umo Eno’s administration is that it is people-driven. In the near future, we will have communities where everything needed abroad is found locally. Let us join hands to support the governor and his ARISE agenda.”
According to Ekanem, the Skills Week is more than a ceremonial event; it is a declaration of the state’s resolve to prepare its youth for a digital, innovation-based future.
In his remarks, Dr. Enobong Akpan, State Program Manager of the Akwa Ibom State Agency for the Control of AIDS (AKSACA), highlighted how artificial intelligence is already being integrated into the state’s healthcare systems from program coordination to public health disease management.
He urged medical school administrators to prioritize digital literacy, saying, “I dare to say the administration of Pastor Umo Eno is on the trajectory of incorporating AI into the health sector. Secondary hospitals are already linked through data, but we need more training and integration.”
Dr. Akpan also revealed that the state government has approved the Ibom International Hospital, which is expected to become a model for AI-driven healthcare delivery once operational.
Another speaker, Emmanuel Etukudoh, dismissed concerns that AI would eliminate jobs. He argued that the technology is meant to enhance productivity, not replace human roles, and called for more structured digital training programs and supportive policy reforms to empower youths.
The highlight of the ARISE Youth Skills Week was a tech pitch contest, where a Senior Secondary School 1 (SS1) student from Christian Secondary Commercial School in Uyo emerged as the overall winner.
The student wowed judges with an innovation titled Agric-Guard, a solution designed to enhance agricultural safety and productivity. With a score of 83 per cent, the young innovator clinched the top prize of ₦1,000,000, which Governor Umo Eno will present.
