The beneficiaries received the training through the Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP), with the first Imo cohort graduating in Owerri.
Seplat’s Director of External Affairs and Social Performance, Ms. Chioma Afe, disclosed this at the graduation ceremony on Sunday.
Afe, represented by Esther Icha, General Manager, Corporate Social Investment and Social Performance, said STEP strengthens teachers’ professional development.
She added that the programme also seeks to make teachers economically resourceful while creating lasting impact in their communities.
Afe said the joint venture’s education investment reflected its belief that empowering teachers remained an effective way to transform communities.
She said STEP had previously been implemented in Edo and Delta, where more than 2,000 teachers had been trained.
She said the Imo edition represented the programme’s first intervention in the state.
Afe urged the graduating teachers to see their certificates as the beginning of greater responsibility and leadership in their communities.
She said: “Take the digital skills you have acquired into your classrooms, share your knowledge with fellow teachers, encourage your students to learn, explore and innovate.”
She said the programme’s success would ultimately be measured by the students inspired, colleagues supported and communities influenced by the beneficiaries.
Also speaking, Mr. Olanrewaju Igandan, Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), described teachers as “critical channels for knowledge transfer to younger generations.”
Igandan, represented by Ms. Chizoba Onyike, Subsurface Operations Adviser, NUIMS, thanked stakeholders for contributing to the programme’s success.
He wished the graduating teachers success in their future endeavours.
Earlier, Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo, represented by Commissioner for Education, Prof. Bertram Ikegwuoha, urged beneficiaries to positively influence their students.
Uzodinma thanked Seplat and NNPC for the initiative and urged the teachers to embody STEP’s motto: ‘Teach. Inspire. Transform.’
Mrs. Choice Nwachukwu emerged overall winner after presenting a concept on antiseptic production, scoring 432 points and receiving ₦500,000.
Mr. Obinna Anele, who presented unripe plantain flour, placed second with 425 points and received a ₦300,000 grant.
Ms. Golden Ezekwe, whose business concept focused on braiding, placed third with 421 points and received ₦200,000.
