Anambra Govt, Foundation Hold Seminar to Mentor Students on Career Choices

~ Harp on digital skills

Anambra State government in partnership with a non governmental organisation, The Annie Okonkwo Foundation (TAOF) at the weekend held a seminar to mentor secondary school students on career choices.

The event which was tagged TAOF Career Seminar 2025, was in commemoration of the second anniversary of the death of Senator Annie Okonkwo, who represented Anambra Central zone. It featured teachings on tech, business entrepreneurship, and public health. The topics were handled industry experts.

Chairman of Board of Trustees of the foundation and wife of the late senator, Mrs Chinyere Annie Okonkwo who delivered a special remark at the event said the foundation was established by her husband as Agunechemba Scholarship Foundation.

“My husband was a lover of education and used the foundation to uplift many brilliant but indigent students. He was a man who loved education, but could not achieve it at a tender age because he lost his father at the age of 18.

“He later went into business, and when he became successful, he started training other people through his foundation. He was however able to attain educational height in life before his death. When he died, we now changed the name to The Annie Okonkwo Foundation (TAOF).

“We are here today to extoll his legacies and also mentor students on career choices. The foundation has been growing since after his death and today, it is not just about scholarships, but mentorship, career counseling, and health interventions.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the collaborating government agency, Post Primary School Service Commission (PPSSC), Prof Nkechi Ikediugwu extolled the virtues of the late senator, and the shelter his foundation was forming for indigent students.

She said: “This foundation has for long become an umbrella to many students from poor homes. His life was a challenge to many and we need more people like him with open mind and the readiness to lend a helping hand.”

Programs Director of the foundation, Ms. Success Smith described the event as a shift from the conventional classroom-to-exam model, but something more forward-thinking, and a conversation about real-world possibilities.

“This is about exposure. It’s about giving our students access to the kind of insights, industry, and inspiration that textbooks alone cannot offer. This is a product of collaboration — with the Anambra State Post Primary Schools Service Commission (PPSSC) and several other agencies working with us to make sure no student is left behind.”

Resource persons included tech expert and content creator, Dennis Egwu and Jaybee Onochie respectively, who harped on the need for student to acquire digital skills, to be able to stay afloat in today’s world.