Nigeria will pitch its talent and technology-enabled services to global employers as the Hire From Nigeria campaign goes international at a UNGA 81 side event in New York.
Nigeria’s Hire From Nigeria campaign will take its push to connect Nigerian talent with international employers to the global stage on Thursday, as the initiative holds a side event on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan, New York.
The event, themed “Impact Sourcing As A Driver Of Global Trade And Inclusive Job Creation,” will bring together Nigerian government officials, state governors, private-sector and technology leaders, international employers, investors and development partners.
The session is scheduled to begin at 9am on September 24.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to deliver the keynote address on “Setting the global trade and impact sourcing context; Nigeria’s positioning as the next outsourcing frontier.”
The engagement follows the national launch of the Hire From Nigeria campaign in Abuja on August 31, where government and private-sector stakeholders outlined plans to connect Nigerian professionals, skilled workers, digital experts, creatives and service providers with international demand.
Hire From Nigeria targets global services market
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said the campaign was designed to turn Nigeria’s talent base into greater participation in global trade, services exports and job creation.
“Our priority is to translate Nigeria’s talent into greater participation in global trade,” Oduwole said.
“Through Hire from Nigeria, we are working with the private sector to connect Nigerian professionals and service providers with international demand. We want these connections to deliver commercial opportunities, expand services exports and create jobs in Nigeria.”
The campaign is being implemented through a public-private collaboration involving the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, through the National Talent Export Programme, alongside the ministries of Education, Information and National Orientation, Labour and Employment and Foreign Affairs.
The Bank of Industry’s iDICE programme, Mastercard Foundation and Semicolon are also among the partners supporting the initiative.
The government previously said the broader talent-export programme is targeting one million export-linked jobs by 2030. It also said a digital services survey conducted by the National Talent Export Programme and the United Nations Development Programme identified Nigerian service providers across 17 sectors.
Hire From Nigeria campaign seeks investment, jobs
The New York event is expected to provide a platform for Nigerian public- and private-sector leaders to engage directly with international businesses on outsourcing, hiring, investment and other commercial opportunities.
Confirmed speakers include Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, Education Minister Maruf Tunji Alausa, National Identity Management Commission Director-General Bisoye Coker-Odusote, Itana co-founder and Executive Chairman Luqman Edu, Mastercard Foundation Nigeria Country Director Rosy Fynn, Tech4Dev Founder and President Joel Ogunsola, and Semicolon Africa CEO Sam Immanuel.
Ogunsola said Nigeria needed to move beyond being recognised for the size of its talent pool and demonstrate the economic value that talent can create internationally.
“Nigeria has an opportunity to move from being recognized for the size of its talent pool to being recognized for the value that talent creates globally,” he said.
He said the campaign was intended to make that value more visible while connecting Nigerian capabilities with businesses and markets seeking them.
The organisers said the campaign could contribute to services exports, foreign exchange earnings, business growth and job creation by connecting Nigerian workers and companies to international demand.
The UNGA engagement is therefore expected to be the next phase of Hire From Nigeria, moving from domestic awareness of Nigeria’s talent capacity towards building relationships with global employers and converting international interest into hiring, contracting and investment opportunities.
The campaign’s core message is that Nigeria has the talent while global businesses have the demand, with Hire From Nigeria seeking to create the connection between both sides.
