Imo State in south-eastern Nigeria has unveiled ImoTalentHub.com, a digital marketplace designed to connect its rapidly expanding pool of software engineers, data scientists and designers with employers in London, Dubai, Silicon Valley and other innovation centres worldwide. The platform sits at the heart of the state-run Skill Up Imo programme and is delivered in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley and the US Market Access Centre. Its goal is straightforward and ambitious: enable 100,000 Imo-trained technology professionals to secure paid roles in the global economy by 2026.
Skill Up Imo began in 2022. Since then, more than 40,000 young people have completed year-long courses in software development, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and user-experience design. ImoTalentHub now provides those graduates with verified profiles, portfolio showcases and one-click smart contracts that handle KYC checks, escrow payments and tax compliance. A fintech firm in Shoreditch can therefore hire a back-end engineer in Owerri as easily as it might recruit locally, while paying in pounds or dollars through a regulated channel.
Current cohorts are engaging with a curriculum designed in partnership with the Sutardja Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology at UC Berkeley. Professors have delivered intensive boot camps and will lead further sessions on building for global markets, prompt engineering, vibe coding and the practical use of generative AI. They are equipping cloud laboratories at the new Imo Digital City campus with NVIDIA GPU power and launching a Founder Development Programme that pairs venture-capital access with formal certification. Graduates emerge with enterprise-ready skills and a direct pathway into Imo’s start-up ecosystem.
Governor Hope Uzodimma sees the initiative as a decisive pivot away from a resource-based economy.
“Imo is moving decisively from an analogue economy to a digital future. By partnering with the University of California and the US Market Access Center we are giving our young people the skills, networks and confidence to launch world-class start-ups right here in Owerri. Our goal is to empower 300,000 residents over the next five years and link Imo’s tech ecosystem to global markets,” he said.
Dr Chimezie Amadi, Commissioner for Digital Economy and E-Government, adds that data generated by the hub will inform smarter policy, stimulate foreign earnings and demonstrate Nigeria’s capacity to export high-value knowledge at scale.
Chris Burry, Managing Director of the US Market Access Centre, is equally emphatic.
“We see in Imo the talent and determination that built Silicon Valley. Working alongside UC Berkeley and the state government, we will mentor the next generation of founders who can deliver solutions for Nigeria, Africa and the wider world.”
ImoTalentHub offers AI-driven search and will roll out instant contracting with escrow protection, real-time earnings dashboards as well as an employer API for bulk recruitment and a community space for mentoring and collaborative projects. The state has a roamap to make the platform the best of its kind in the continent as well as matching global standards.
Officials expect the platform to raise youth employment, attract foreign remittances and deepen diaspora engagement. For London employers facing intense competition for software talent, ImoTalentHub represents a new, credible source of Berkeley-certified specialists who bring global best practice and competitive rates.
Skill Up Imo remains free to residents and continues to expand its course catalogue in partnership with UC Berkeley. ImoTalentHub, meanwhile, aims to become Africa’s largest state-backed talent directory, proving that the state’s most valuable export is no longer oil or agriculture but human capital.
