By Chris Agabi
As part of our strategy towards achieving Nigeria’s agenda for job creation, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment I’m 2023 initiated the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) for Nigeria, which targets the creation of 1 million jobs for Nigerians, over a 5 year period.
Already, the initiative has attracted 50,000 new jobs to Nigeria through Lab Four.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, supervised the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the Ministry and Lab Four for the channeling of 50,000 full-time business process outsourcing (BPO) jobs to Nigeria.
The MoU was signed on the 18th of March 2024 and will be executed by the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), a statement by Dr Femi Adeluyi, the National Coordinator, National Talent Export Programme (NATEP).
Recall that NATEP was launched on the sidelines of the 2023 edition of the United Nations General Assembly to connect Nigerians to employment opportunities outside the country through 2 channels, namely physical talent export and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu endorsed the initiative.
The statement said through NATEP, Nigeria can honourably export her talents in a mutually beneficial and reputation preserving way, significantly reducing illegal migration. NATEP is also positioning Nigeria as an outsourcing destination of choice as it catalyzes the growth and development of the micro, mini and mega BPO ecosystems and industries in Nigeria.
The MoU is to channel 50,000 full time BPO jobs to Nigeria over the next 3 years in job categories such as telesales, customer service, virtual administrative assistant, marketing/social media assistant and tech/cybersecurity. The jobs generated through this partnership have the potential to annually attract up to $1.2 billion into the Nigerian economy through remuneration to the employed persons, in addition to about $60 million dollars that it could provide to develop the BPO ecosystem, through direct support to the individual BPOs.
Following its launch, NATEP has had extensive meetings with a number of stakeholders and have forged strategic partnerships. One of such partnerships is with the Cybersecurity Institute at Lab Four. Cybersecurity Institute at Lab Four is an accredited, nontraditional training provider based in Memphis, United States of America with over 15 years’ experience helping people start and advance their careers in the Information Technology (IT) and Cybersecurity fields. Their remote work platform is a marketplace focused on connecting skilled professionals in the world to remote work opportunities in the West. They are democratizing BPO for small and medium-sized Western employers who want to leverage these opportunities to grow, while simultaneously providing opportunities for economic growth and liquidity in developing countries.
In addition to the Minister, other dignitaries at the event included the representative of the United States Embassy Abuja, Mr. John Dunham, officials of Lab Four- Anthony Okhiria, Elizabeth McDonough and Brendam Wade. Others included the Director of Legal Services at the Ministry, Mr. Akinlonu F. Foluso, the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister, Mr. Felix Imafidon and the National Coordinator of NATEP, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, among others.
In her speech at the event, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite stated that “… the Federal Government’s message through the launch of National Talent Export Programme is clear- Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent exports and business process outsourcing! We have the vision and commitment and we seek the partnership and trust of Nigerians and the global community as we embark on this mutually beneficial journey.”
The MoU signing ceremony and the resulting partnership will create jobs in our BPO sector and strengthen Nigeria’s BPO industry, the minister remarked.
She said the initiative will also “increase foreign exchange earnings and revenue for Nigeria; create economic growth and stimulate the growth of ancillary industries and support services; and improve skills and strengthen the Nigerian Brand.”
She further indicated that “NATEP will ride on some strategic advantages of the Nigerian market that position us as a service export and outsourcing destination of choice. Some of these advantages include the following: strategic location and time zone, highly skilled workforce, cost-effective services, robust digital infrastructure, language and cultural compatibility, government support and stability and data privacy & security, among others.”
The Honourable Minister concluded the ceremony by launching the NATEP Strategy document.
