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Nigeria will take its campaign to export its professional and technology-enabled services to the global market to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Thursday, seeking to convert its large talent pool into jobs, foreign exchange earnings, and increased participation in global value chains.
The Hire From Nigeria campaign will hold a side event in Manhattan on the margins of the 81st Session of the UNGA, bringing together Nigerian government officials, state governors, technology and private-sector leaders, as well as international employers, investors and potential partners.
The event, themed “Impact Sourcing as a Driver of Global Trade and Inclusive Job Creation”, is scheduled for 9 a.m.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to deliver the keynote address, titled “Setting the global trade and impact sourcing context; Nigeria’s positioning as the next outsourcing frontier.”
The international engagement follows the national launch of Hire From Nigeria in Abuja on August 31, where the Federal Government and private-sector stakeholders pledged to connect Nigerian talent across professional, technical, skilled and service-based occupations with growing international demand.
The New York event is expected to provide a platform for Nigerian officials and private-sector leaders to engage directly with international businesses on opportunities arising from the country’s expanding talent and services capacity.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Jumoke Oduwole said the government’s priority was to translate Nigeria’s talent into increased participation in global trade.
“Our priority is to translate Nigeria’s talent into greater participation in global trade. Through Hire From Nigeria, we are working with the private sector to connect Nigerian professionals and service providers with international demand,” she said.
“We want these connections to deliver commercial opportunities, expand services exports and create jobs in Nigeria.”
Among those expected to participate are Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago; Minister of Education Maruf Tunji Alausa; Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission Bisoye Coker-Odusote; and Itana co-founder and Executive Chairman Luqman Edu.
Others are Mastercard Foundation Nigeria Country Director Rosy Fynn; Tech4Dev co-founder and President Joel Ogunsola; and Semicolon Africa Chief Executive Officer Sam Immanuel.
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The campaign is a public-private collaboration championed by 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; Foreign Affairs; the Bank of Industry through the iDICE programme; Mastercard Foundation and Semicolon.
According to the organisers, Nigeria already has a diverse talent base capable of competing for opportunities in the global economy, with its workers contributing across professional, technical, skilled and service-based occupations.
Ogunsola said the campaign was designed to shift the focus from the size of Nigeria’s workforce to the value that Nigerian talent could generate internationally.
“Nigeria has an opportunity to move from being recognised for the size of its talent pool to being recognised for the value that talent creates globally,” he said.
“Hire From Nigeria is about making that value visible and connecting Nigerian capabilities to the businesses and markets that need them.”
The organisers said connecting Nigerian talent and services with international demand could increase services exports and foreign exchange earnings while supporting business expansion and job creation.
The campaign will also seek to turn interest generated during the UNGA engagement into sustained commercial relationships between Nigerian professionals and companies and businesses in international markets.
The organisers described the New York engagement as the next phase of Hire From Nigeria, moving from awareness-building to creating commercial relationships around Nigeria’s talent and services.
The campaign’s stated objectives are to make Nigeria easier for global businesses to discover, connect international companies with Nigerian talent and services, and create more pathways for Nigerians and Nigerian businesses to participate in the global economy.
Hire From Nigeria is a private-sector-led coalition led by Tech4Dev and Univelcity, working with global business process outsourcing operators, international clients and businesses seeking Nigerian capabilities.
