FG Launches ‘Hire From Nigeria’ Campaign To Drive Youth Employability
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Federal Government has unveiled a “Hire From Nigeria” Campaign, an initiative to connect Nigerian youths to international employers.
Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Attah said the Minister called for stronger alignment between Nigeria’s education and skills development system and the growing demand for Nigerian talent in the global economy, while adding that young Nigerians must be equipped to secure international employment and deliver services to global employers while working from the country.
Alausa made the call at the official launch of the “Hire From Nigeria” Campaign, describing the initiative as a practical expression of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and an opportunity to transform Nigeria’s youthful population into a productive economic asset.
He said the Ministry of Education was strengthening the pipeline of skilled, certified and industry-ready Nigerians capable of competing successfully in the international labour market.
The Minister said ongoing education reforms were placing greater emphasis on practical and skills-based learning, noting that more than 200,000 Nigerians are currently undergoing training across over 1,200 skills training centres. He explained that the programmes increasingly adopt an 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theoretical model, with trainees assessed and certified through the relevant national skills certification processes.
Alausa also highlighted the planned Digital Technology Academy, being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, which 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 the six-to-eight-month programme would provide professional certifications to improve participants’ access to international technology opportunities. He added that partnerships with global technology companies, including Amazon Web Services, were expanding digital training in tertiary institutions, with nearly 50 institutions already onboarded onto the AWS Online Academy.
Complementing the education sector’s role in the initiative, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, formally announced the launch of the Hire From Nigeria Campaign, describing it as a market-facing initiative designed to position Nigerian talent and services before international employers, outsourcing companies and investors.
Oduwole said the campaign, implemented through the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) in partnership with private-sector and development partners, is targeting one million export-linked jobs by 2030. She said Nigeria already possesses a substantial professional workforce, a growing technology ecosystem, a strong services base and a strategic time zone, stressing that the priority is to convert these advantages into international contracts, export earnings and investment.
She disclosed that NATEP, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, had developed a digital services survey and directory mapping Nigerian service providers across 17 sectors. According to her, more than 90 per cent of the businesses surveyed are headquartered in Nigeria, while 41 per cent of digital entrepreneurs are below 35 years and established firms already serve an average of 2.6 international markets.
Oduwole added that the Hire From Nigeria proposition would be taken to the international 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.
On the communication dimension of the campaign, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the initiative reflects the changing nature of international trade, where knowledge, skills, creativity and professional services can be delivered across borders without the movement of physical goods.
He therefore pledged the communication support of his Ministry to promote the campaign nationally and internationally, noting that Nigeria’s youthful population, English-language proficiency, entrepreneurial culture and growing technology and creative sectors provide strong advantages in the global services economy.
