President Bola Tinubu launched the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) on the fringes of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) over the weekend in an effort to shore up Nigeria’s foreign exchange gains.
Following in the footsteps of India, Bangladesh, Mexico, and the Philippines, the new project wants to position Nigeria as an export powerhouse for talent outsourcing in Africa.
The unveiling of the programme took place at the Microsoft Office in New York, United States of America, on Friday, September 22, 2023.
Tinubu was represented at the launch by Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment.
Several dignitaries from multilateral institutions and global tech giants joined the Ministers of Industry, Trade, and Investment and her counterpart from the Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, on the occasion.
Among those in attendance were Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum; Mr. John G. Coumantaros, Chairman, US-Nigeria Business Council; Dr. Floriezelle Liser, President and Chief Executive, Corporate Council on Africa; Amal Hassan, Chief Executive, Outsource Global; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency; Adaora Ikenze, Meta Head of Public Policy for West and Central Africa; Ola Williams, Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana, who joined online; Joel Ogunsola, Chief Executive, TechDev; and Dr. Femi Adeluyi, National Coordinator of the programme.
Also present were Ursula Wynhoven, Representative of the International Telecommunication Union at the United Nations; Dr. Armstrong Takang, Chief Executive of Ministry of Finance Incorporated; Mr. Charles Murito, Director, Sub-Saharan Africa—Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google; Mr. Charles Okochu, Senior Business Development Manager, Amazon AWS; and Michelle Masuzyo Nsanzumuco, AfCFTA Digital Trade Expert.
Dr. Uzoka-Anite emphasized in her welcome statement on President Tinubu’s behalf that the National Talent Export Programme is a critical national effort that would function as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to position Nigeria as a leading worldwide hub for service exports, talent sourcing, and talent exports.
According to the minister, NATEP will be a dedicated institution to address the industry’s unique demands and concerns.
The programme will place a strong emphasis on increasing competitiveness, encouraging innovation, and promoting long-term prosperity through trade in services.
The minister further stated that NATEP is part of the strategy for accomplishing Tinubu’s employment creation objective.
Over a five-year period, the NATEP programme will aim to create one million in demand jobs in Nigeria.
“This initiative will do three things for us as a country. One, it will create millions of jobs for our young people over the next 5 years and beyond. Secondly, it will bring in foreign exchange that our economy needs through remittances from talents that will be exported abroad and those that will be living in Nigeria and working remotely for organisations outside Nigeria, and thirdly, it will generate huge tax income for state governments,” the minister said.
Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, stated in a goodwill message that NATEP is a timely initiative to address the critical areas of skills and jobs for Nigeria and the world.
She noted that the WEF is excited to collaborate with Nigeria on the scheme.
“This is an important programme that is coming at the right time. We at WEF stand ready to work with the Nigerian government on this great initiative.”
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, complimented her counterpart for initiating the NATEP initiative and stated that his ministry would collaborate and assist the programme to ensure it meets its objectives.
Dr. Tijani emphasised the significance of skills and an in-demand workforce as important components of the global economic system, stating that this is why leading countries around the world are deliberate in attracting and maintaining top personnel.
Other speakers at the event highlighted how auspicious and ambitious NATEP is as a national movement capable of changing Nigeria’s economic fortunes, much like India, which receives over $300 billion in talent exports annually. The speakers praised the Federal Government for the commendable initiative and pledged to support the programme.
During the event, the National Coordinator of NATEP chaired a panel discussion with Amal Hassan, Ola Williams, and Adaora Ikenze as panellists.
The panel discussion received a lot of encouraging comments from the participants, who pledged to work together to support the NATEP effort.
The event concluded with the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment revealing the NATEP logo, signalling to the world that Nigeria is poised to become a worldwide powerhouse for talent exports.
