ALAUSA OPENS GLOBAL JOBS FOR YOUNG NIGERIANS. By Beauty Akporido Aroh

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, has called for stronger alignment between Nigeria’s education and skills development system and the rapidly growing demand for Nigerian talent in the global economy, saying young Nigerians must be equipped to secure international employment and deliver services to global employers without leaving 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 Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and a strategic opportunity to transform Nigeria’s youthful population into a productive economic asset.

He said the Federal Ministry of Education was strengthening the pipeline of skilled, certified and industry-ready Nigerians capable of competing successfully in the international labour market.

According to the Minister, ongoing education reforms are placing greater emphasis on practical and skills-based learning, with more than 200,000 Nigerians 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 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 aimed at improving participants’ access to international technology opportunities.

The Minister 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, with established firms already serving an average of 2.6 international markets.

Oduwole said 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, business process outsourcing 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 pledged his Ministry’s communication support 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 significant advantages in the global services economy.

Former Minister and Special Guest, Dr. Sunday Dare, commended Alausa for presenting measurable progress in the education sector and supporting the shift from predominantly theoretical learning to practical and technical skills.

Dare said Nigeria’s young and technology-driven population could build globally competitive technology and outsourcing industries if effectively trained and connected to international markets, describing education as a critical instrument for reducing poverty and driving economic transformation.

Providing further insight into the NATEP framework, the Senior Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and NATEP, Office of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olajumoke Dan-Okayi, said the programme was building the institutional structures required to expand Nigeria’s participation in talent and services exports.

She identified the National Coordination Mechanism for Services Exports, Nigeria Talent Accelerator Network and Nigeria’s participation as a Country Partner for the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2026 as key components of the programme.

She also disclosed that the National Outsourcing Policy, expected in November 2026, would strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in Business Process Outsourcing, Global Business Services and digitally delivered work.

The Founder and President of Tech4Dev, Mr. Joel Ogunsola, said Nigeria had produced professionals and skilled workers who contribute to economies around the world but had not sufficiently commercialised the value of that talent.

He said the Hire From Nigeria initiative would address barriers around discoverability, trust and access by creating clearer pathways for graduates, technically trained workers, digital professionals, non-graduates and creatives to secure international opportunities while working from Nigeria.

The campaign brings together the Federal Ministries of Education; Industry, Trade and Investment; Information and National Orientation; Labour and Employment; and Foreign Affairs, alongside NATEP, Tech4Dev, the Bank of Industry’s iDICE programme, universities, private-sector organisations and development partners.

Alausa assured that the Federal Ministry of Education would continue to deepen reforms aimed at making education more practical, industry-responsive and aligned with the changing world of work, while strengthening technical, vocational and digital training and certification.

He said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remained committed to transforming Nigeria’s youthful population into a skilled, productive and globally connected workforce capable of creating value at home while contributing meaningfully to the international economy.