By Julius Peter
The Federal Government has launched a new national initiative, tagged “Hire From Nigeria,” aimed at positioning Nigerian professionals, skilled workers, digital experts, creatives and service providers to compete for jobs and international service contracts without necessarily leaving the country.
The initiative, launched on Monday by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with other key ministries, agencies, development partners and private-sector stakeholders, is targeting the facilitation of one million export-linked jobs by 2030 as part of efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy, create employment and increase the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
The campaign is being implemented in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly its focus on job creation, human capital development, economic diversification, skills acquisition and the creation of decent employment opportunities for Nigerians.
The initiative brings together the Federal Ministries of Education; Industry, Trade and Investment; Information and National Orientation; Labour and Employment; and Foreign Affairs, alongside the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), Tech4Dev, universities, development partners and private-sector stakeholders.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, said Nigeria’s youthful population represents a major human capital advantage which must be deliberately transformed into a demographic dividend through quality education, practical skills, credible certification and access to decent and well-paying jobs.
Alausa noted that more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population is below the age of 30, describing the demographic structure as a significant opportunity for the country if properly harnessed.
According to him, Nigeria has the potential to become one of the major sources of globally competitive talent, provided its young population is equipped with the right skills, certifications and opportunities to participate meaningfully in the global economy.
He said the Federal Government was determined to ensure that Nigerians were not only educated but also trained, certified and prepared to take advantage of employment opportunities in international markets.
The Minister explained that the Federal Ministry of Education was repositioning the country’s education system away from predominantly theoretical learning towards practical, competency-based and industry-responsive training.
He disclosed that more than 200,000 Nigerians are currently undergoing training in over 1,200 skills centres across the country, with the programmes adopting an 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theoretical model.
The trainees, he added, are assessed and certified under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to ensure that their skills meet recognised standards.
Alausa further identified the rapidly expanding global services economy, particularly Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), information technology and digitally delivered services, as a major avenue through which Nigeria can create jobs, retain skilled manpower and earn foreign exchange.
He also disclosed plans for a Digital Technology Academy, being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, which is expected to train more than 35,000 Nigerians in critical areas of the digital economy.
The training areas will include software development, cybersecurity, IT automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, cloud computing and quantum computing.
According to the Minister, the programme will run for between six and eight months and will provide participants with professional certifications designed to improve their employability in the international labour market.
He added that partnerships with major technology companies had already resulted in the enrolment of nearly 50 tertiary institutions in the AWS Online Academy, further expanding opportunities for Nigerian students and young professionals to acquire globally relevant digital skills.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the “Hire From Nigeria” campaign reflects the changing nature of international trade and the growing importance of services in the global economy.
Idris explained that unlike traditional international trade, which largely involves the movement of physical goods across borders, the modern services economy allows knowledge, creativity, technical expertise and professional services to be delivered internationally without the physical movement of workers or products.
He identified Nigeria’s large youthful population, widespread English-language proficiency, entrepreneurial culture and expanding technology and creative industries as strategic advantages that could enable the country to compete effectively in the global services market.
The Minister pledged the support of his ministry in promoting Nigerian talent both locally and internationally, stressing the need to ensure that the country’s capabilities are communicated to global markets in a clear, credible and consistent manner.
Formally launching the campaign, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, described “Hire From Nigeria” as more than a publicity or communications initiative.
She said the campaign represents a market-facing national economic proposition designed to transform Nigeria’s large pool of human capital and enterprise into international contracts, jobs, export earnings and investment.
Oduwole said the National Talent Export Programme was pursuing a demand-led services export strategy, with a target of facilitating one million export-linked jobs by 2030.
She identified Nigeria’s large professional workforce, growing technology ecosystem, established services sector and strategic time zone as advantages that could help the country compete for international business and outsourcing opportunities.
The Minister disclosed that NATEP, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had conducted a digital services survey and developed a directory covering Nigerian service providers across 17 sectors.
The survey, according to her, showed that more than 90 per cent of the businesses surveyed are headquartered in Nigeria, while 41 per cent of digital entrepreneurs are below the age of 35.
She added that established firms in the sector currently serve an average of 2.6 international markets, demonstrating the existing capacity of Nigerian businesses to provide services beyond the country’s borders.
Oduwole further announced that the “Hire From Nigeria” campaign would be presented internationally at the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2026, at the Nigerian House in New York.
The presentation, she said, would provide an opportunity to engage global employers, Business Process Outsourcing buyers, investors and strategic partners on opportunities for hiring Nigerian professionals, outsourcing services to Nigerian companies, contracting Nigerian service providers and investing in the country’s growing services economy.
The Senior Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and NATEP, Mrs. Olajumoke Dan-Okayi, said structures were being developed to provide the institutional foundation required to sustain Nigeria’s talent-export ambitions.
She listed some of the initiatives as the National Coordination Mechanism for Services Exports and the Nigeria Talent Accelerator Network, as well as Nigeria’s participation as a Country Partner for the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2026.
Dan-Okayi also disclosed that a proposed National Outsourcing Policy, expected to be introduced in November 2026, would further strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in Business Process Outsourcing, Global Business Services and digitally delivered work.
For the Founder and President of Tech4Dev, Mr. Joel Ogunsola, Nigeria has exported talent for decades but has not fully captured the economic value associated with its skilled workforce.
Ogunsola identified discoverability, trust and access to global markets as some of the major barriers preventing Nigerian talent from reaching its full international economic potential.
He said the campaign would seek to make Nigeria easier for global employers and clients to discover, Nigerian talent easier to trust and Nigerian professionals easier to hire.
He stressed the importance of building confidence around Nigerian professionals and businesses while creating platforms through which international employers can easily identify and engage qualified service providers.
Former Minister and Special Guest of Honour at the event, Dr. Sunday Dare, commended the Federal Government’s renewed emphasis on practical and technical education.
Dare said Nigeria’s youthful and increasingly technology-driven population could become a major force for economic transformation if properly connected to global markets.
He noted that the future of employment was changing rapidly and urged the country to ensure that its education and skills-development systems remained responsive to the demands of the global economy.
The Federal Government said the “Hire From Nigeria” campaign is expected to strengthen pathways through which Nigerian talent can access international employment and business opportunities while remaining in the country.
The initiative is also expected to contribute to job creation, foreign exchange generation, investment attraction, skills development and economic diversification, while helping Nigeria establish a stronger position in the global services economy.
With millions of young Nigerians entering the labour market and the international demand for digital, technical, professional and creative services continuing to expand, the government believes that exporting services and talent could provide a major new source of economic value for the country.
The Federal Government therefore reaffirmed its commitment to building an education and skills ecosystem capable of producing globally competitive, professionally certified and industry-ready Nigerians, describing human capital development as a critical component of sustainable national development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
