The Federal Government has launched a national talent export programme, tagged “National Talent Export Programme (NATEP)”, designed to create at least one million jobs over the next five years.

The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, announced this on Friday, September 24, 2023, on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at an event tagged “Positioning Nigeria as a Global Talent Hub in New York”.

According to her, the initiative is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to diversify the Nigerian economy, create sustainability opportunities and generate about 50 million jobs for the youths.

“NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service export, talent sourcing and talent export,” she said.

“As part of our strategy towards achieving this, His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, whose agenda for job creation, we have initiated a national talent export programme for Nigeria, which targets the creation of one million jobs across Nigeria over a five-year period.

“NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service exports, talent sourcing and talent export,” she said.

The minister said that the Nigerian government under the leadership of Tinubu as part of the renewed hope agenda was committed to diversifying the economy and creating sustainable employment opportunities, especially for youths by creating 50 million jobs.

“This is in tandem with the theme of this year’s UNGA, rebuilding trust and igniting global solidarity, accelerating action on the 2030 agenda and the sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, Uzoka-Anite told a gathering comprising officials of the World Economic Forum and the Microsoft group.

According to her, NATEP will be dedicated to addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by the talent and service sector export industry, laying emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth through trade in services.

Available data indicate that the global talent sourcing industry is valued at $620 billion as at 2020 and it is forecasted to be valued at about $904 billion by 2027.

Uzoka-Anite said Nigeria has the ability to supply top talent for the global service export and outsourcing business, with over 1.7 million graduates from higher education institutions entering the workforce annually.

“NATEP will serve as a dedicated entity to address the unique needs and challenges faced by the talents and service export industry. The programme will lay special emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth through trade and services.

“With a youthful population and over 1.7 million graduates from the higher educational institutions joining the workforce each year, Nigeria has the potential to provide high-quality talent for the Global Service export and outsourcing industry.”

While stating that Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent export, Uzoka-Anite said that the government would take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACfTA) to penetrate the continent’s huge market and target job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, among others.

“As a country, we have a significant value proposition for regional and global markets for the export of services. We will actively target Greenfield and Brownfield job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, among others.

“We will take advantage of the African continental free trade agreement to access the African market.

“The four-pronged objectives of the NATEP initiative are as follows: One to deliver one million service export jobs over the next five years; to increase foreign exchange earnings and revenue for Nigeria; to create economic growth and to stimulate the growth of ancillary industries and support services, and to improve skills and strengthening the Nigerian brand.”

In addition, Uzoka-Anite said: “To put it succinctly, the message from today’s launch of the national talent export programme is clear. Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent experts.

“We have the vision and commitment and we seek your partnership and trust as we embark on this mutually beneficial journey. We look forward to partnering with you.”

In his remarks, the Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, while welcoming the initiative, noted that it was extremely timely as Nigeria was losing out on the benefits countries like India enjoy.