The Federal Government has unveiled the “Hire From Nigeria” campaign, a new initiative aimed at connecting Nigerian professionals, skilled workers and digital talents with international employers while creating opportunities for Nigerians to earn foreign exchange without leaving the country.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the initiative underscored the need to align Nigeria’s education and skills development system with the rapidly changing demands of the global economy.
He said young Nigerians must be equipped with practical, industry-relevant skills to compete for international employment and deliver services to global employers from within Nigeria.
According to a statement by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr. Ikharo Attah, the initiative was part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to reposition education and skills development as tools for economic empowerment and global competitiveness.
He said the campaign would help bridge the gap between Nigeria’s growing pool of skilled young people and international demand for talent and digitally delivered services.
Speaking at the official launch of the campaign, Alausa described it 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.
According to him, more than 200,000 Nigerians are currently undergoing training across over 1,200 skills training centres, with increasing emphasis on practical learning.
He said many of the programmes now operate on 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 designed 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.
Also speaking, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, formally announced the Hire From Nigeria Campaign, describing it as a market-facing initiative designed to showcase Nigerian talent and services to 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 sector and a strategic time zone, stressing that the priority was to convert these advantages into international contracts, export earnings and investment.
The minister 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 old 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, 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 reflected the changing nature of international trade, where knowledge, skills, creativity and professional services could be delivered across borders without the movement of physical goods.
He pledged his ministry’s support for promoting the campaign nationally and internationally, noting that Nigeria’s youthful population, English-language proficiency, entrepreneurial culture and growing technology and creative sectors provided significant advantages in the global services economy.
On his part, Former Minister of Youth and Sports Department, 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, who was also the Special Guest of Honour at the event, 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.
While 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 added that the National Outsourcing Policy, expected in November 2026, would further 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 contributing to economies around the world but had not sufficiently commercialised the value of its talent.
He said Hire From Nigeria would address barriers relating to 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 and other private-sector 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.
He said the ministry would also strengthen technical, vocational and digital training and certification to ensure that Nigerian graduates and skilled workers possessed the competencies required to compete effectively in the international labour market.
The minister said the Tinubu administration remains 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.
