FG Launches Drive To Help Nigerians Earn Global Salaries Without Japa

The Federal Government has launched the “Hire From Nigeria” Campaign, a new initiative designed to position skilled Nigerian youths for international employment opportunities without leaving the country.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who spoke at the official launch, said the programme is a practical expression of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and a deliberate effort to align Nigeria’s education and skills system with global demand for talent.

Alausa said young Nigerians must be equipped to compete for jobs and deliver services to employers across the world while working from Nigeria, stressing that the country’s youthful population must be converted into a productive economic asset.

He disclosed that the Ministry of Education is strengthening the pipeline of skilled, certified and industry-ready Nigerians capable of succeeding in the international labour market.

According to him, ongoing reforms are shifting learning towards practical and skills-based training.

More than 200,000 Nigerians are currently undergoing training across over 1,200 skills training centres nationwide, with programmes now running on an 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theoretical model. Trainees, he added, will be assessed and certified through the relevant national skills certification processes.

Alausa also announced plans for a Digital Technology Academy being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

The six-to-eight-month programme is expected to train more than 35,000 Nigerians in software development, cybersecurity, IT automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, natural language processing, cloud computing and quantum computing.

He said participants would receive professional certifications to improve their access to global technology jobs.

He further noted that partnerships with global technology companies, including Amazon Web Services, are expanding digital training in tertiary institutions, with nearly 50 institutions already onboarded onto the AWS Online Academy.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, formally announced the launch of the Hire From Nigeria Campaign.

She described it as a market-facing initiative aimed at presenting Nigerian talent and services to international employers, outsourcing companies and investors.

Oduwole said the campaign will be implemented through the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) in partnership with private-sector and development partners, and is targeting one million export-linked jobs by 2030.

She said Nigeria already has a substantial professional workforce, a growing technology ecosystem, a strong services base and a strategic time zone, and the priority now is to convert those advantages into contracts, export earnings and investment.

Oduwole disclosed that NATEP, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, has developed a digital services survey and directory mapping Nigerian service providers across 17 sectors.
More than 90 per cent of the businesses surveyed are headquartered in Nigeria, 41 per cent of digital entrepreneurs are below 35 years, and established firms already serve an average of 2.6 international markets.

She added that the Hire From Nigeria proposition will be taken to the global market during the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 24 at the Nigerian House in New York, where global employers, BPO buyers, investors and strategic partners are expected to explore opportunities for hiring, contracts and investment.