DIGITAL BOOST FOR TARABA AS FG MOVES TO ESTABLISH TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION HUB
Facility to equip youths with digital skills, support startups and entrepreneurship
By Taraba News | Abuja
Taraba State is set to benefit from a new Technology Innovation Hub as the Federal Government moves to expand digital skills, innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in the state.
Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, disclosed the plan during a meeting with a delegation of the Taraba State Youth Development Agency (TSYDA), led by its Chairman, Prince Gara Nongha, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
The proposed facility is expected to provide young Tarabans with access to digital and technological skills required to participate in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
Olawande said the initiative would complement the efforts of Governor Agbu Kefas in preparing young people in Taraba for productive participation in the future economy.
According to the minister, the hub is being conceived as a platform where youths can acquire relevant technological skills and gain opportunities capable of improving their economic prospects.
He also expressed the Federal Ministry of Youth Development’s readiness to strengthen collaboration with the Taraba State Government on youth empowerment and development programmes.
The minister called on young people in the state to take advantage of government programmes targeted at expanding opportunities in technology and the digital economy.
He also used the occasion to canvass support among Taraba youths for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
TSYDA WELCOMES INITIATIVE
Responding, TSYDA Chairman, Prince Gara Nongha, described the proposed Technology Innovation Hub as an important opportunity for young people across Taraba State.
Nongha said the facility could provide a platform for young Tarabans to acquire digital skills, develop innovative ideas, establish businesses and participate more effectively in the emerging digital economy.
He called for stronger collaboration between the Federal Government and Taraba State in technology, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and youth development.
According to him, such partnerships are necessary to translate government youth policies into opportunities capable of creating jobs and improving livelihoods.
Nongha also commended Olawande for his engagement with Taraba State, including his recent participation in the Kefas Youth Empowerment Programme.
During that visit, the Taraba State Youth Development Roadmap 2026–2031 and the Long-Term Taraba Youth Agenda 2050 were unveiled.
The TSYDA chairman said the agency would work towards ensuring that its engagement with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development produces practical programmes with measurable impact on young people across the state.
If established, the Technology Innovation Hub could provide another platform for addressing youth unemployment by creating pathways into digital entrepreneurship, technology-driven businesses and emerging skills-based employment.
Attention will now turn to the implementation timeline, location, funding and scope of the proposed hub as Taraba awaits the Federal Government’s next steps on the project.
