At UNGA, Nigeria Launches Talent Export Programme, Targets One Million Jobs

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The federal government has launched a national talent export programme tagged: ‘National Talent Export Programme (NATEP)’, designed to create not less than one million jobs in the next five years as a special purpose vehicle.

The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at an event tagged “Positioning Nigeria as a Global Talent Hub0 in New York, United States.
The initiative, she explained, was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to diversify the Nigerian economy, create sustainability opportunities, and generate about 50 million jobs for the youths.

She said: “NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service export, talent sourcing and talent export.
“As part of our strategy towards achieving this, President Bola Tinubu whose agenda for job creation, we have initiated a national talent export programme for Nigeria, which targets the creation of one million jobs across Nigeria over a five-year period. NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service exports, talent sourcing and talent export.

“The Nigerian government under the leadership of President Bala Tinubu as part of the renewed hope agenda is committed to diversifying the economy and creating sustainable employment opportunities, especially for youth by creating 50 million jobs. This is in tandem with the theme of this year’s UNGA, rebuilding trust and igniting global solidarity, accelerating action on the 2030 agenda and the sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, Uzoka-Anite told a gathering comprising officials of the World Economic Forum and the Microsoft group.

According to her, NATEP will be dedicated to addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by the talent and service sector export industry, laying emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth through trade in services.
Available data indicate that the global talent sourcing industry is valued at $620 billion as at 2020 and it is forecasted to be valued at about $904 billion by 2027.
Uzoka-Anite stressed that Nigeria has the ability to supply top talent for the global service export and outsourcing business, with over 1.7 million graduates from higher education institutions entering the workforce annually.

“NATEP will serve as a dedicated entity to address the unique needs and challenges faced by the talent and service export industry. The programme will lay special emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth through trade and services. It is noteworthy that the global talent sourcing industry was valued at $620 billion in 2020 and is forecasted to be valued at $904 billion by 2027. With a youthful population and over 1.7 million graduates from the higher educational institutions joining the workforce each year, Nigeria has the potential to provide high quality talent for the Global Service export and outsourcing industry.”

While stating that Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent export, the minister said the government will take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACfTA) to penetrate the continent’s huge market and target job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, among others.
Her words: “As a country we have a significant value proposition for regional and global markets for the export of services. We will actively target Greenfield and brownfield job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, among others.

“We will take advantage of the African continental free trade agreement to access the African market.
“The four-pronged objectives of the NATEP initiative as follows: One to deliver one million service export jobs over the next five years; to increase foreign exchange earnings and revenue for Nigeria; to create economic growth and to stimulate the growth of ancillary industries and support services and to improve skills and strengthening the Nigerian brand.

“To put it succinctly, the message from today’s launch of the national talent export programme is clear. Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent experts. We have the vision and commitment and we seek your partnership and trust as we embark on this mutually beneficial journey. We look forward to partnering with you.”
Also speaking, Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr.  Bosun Tijani, while welcoming the initiative, noted that it was extremely timely as Nigeria was losing out of the benefits countries like India enjoy.