Governor Alex Otti says that his administration will establish an academy to drive its agenda, providing structured capacity-building training for workers.

Mr Otti made this statement on Thursday in his closing remarks at the Abia State Q2 2025 Executive Council Strategy Retreat, held at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.

He directed all the commissioners and Heads of ministries, departments and agencies to develop comprehensive training and capacity-building programmes for their respective organisations.

According to him, the move would further drive his administration’s agenda to reform the Abia workforce. He also said that the training formed part of the broader efforts to enhance service delivery and sustain the administration’s momentum in rebuilding Abia.

“One central takeaway from this meeting is the importance of training and mentorship, supporting individuals to become better versions of themselves in order to become better employees and subordinates,” he said.

Mr Otti said that internal training resources would be prioritised, and the option of engaging external experts should be considered.

The governor also said that clear assessment metrics must be developed, with training outcomes factored into official responsibilities. Mr Otti said he was expecting to receive periodic reports on the training outcomes from various MDAs.

He said, “We are a future-orientated administration and to that effect, we shall ensure that, henceforth, government employees go through scheduled training from time to time. An academy will soon be established by the government to facilitate this initiative.”

The governor also mentioned that plans were underway to extend mentorship initiatives to students in secondary schools and tertiary institutions across the state.

Mr Otti directed the chief strategy officer and chairman of the Civil Service Commission to design a training template for 1,000 young people aged 16 to 20.

He said that the programme would focus on leadership development, character building, and self-discovery, and would run from the first week of August to the second week of September, during the school vacation.

He further stated that the training should be institutionalised, conducted periodically, and properly certified.

(NAN)