The Nigerian Government says it is seeking to turn the country’s large pool of skilled young people into a major source of foreign exchange and global business opportunities through the newly launched “Hire from Nigeria” campaign.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris stated this in Abuja at the official unveiling of the initiative.
According to Idris, “Nigeria’s human capital has become one of the country’s most valuable economic assets, with changes in the global economy creating opportunities to export knowledge, skills, creativity and professional services without requiring Nigerians to relocate abroad.”
“For decades, discussions about exports have focused largely on the products that leave our shores: oil, agricultural produce, solid minerals and manufactured goods. But the global economy has changed,” he said.
Idris said the “Hire from Nigeria” campaign was designed to position Nigeria as a preferred global source of skilled talent and digitally delivered services.
He said Nigeria had the demographic strength, entrepreneurial culture, English-language proficiency and growing technology and professional services sectors needed to compete in the global services market.
The Minister stressed that having skilled workers was not enough, saying “Nigeria must also make its talent visible and credible to international employers.”
He reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to using its communication platforms, agencies and partnerships to promote Nigerian talent and improve the country’s image as a destination for global business and services.
Idris said “the campaign would be taken to the international community during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, where Nigeria would showcase its talent and seek to attract global employers.”
He added that the initiative would enable Nigerians to participate in the global economy without necessarily leaving the country, while increasing foreign exchange inflows and tax revenues.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said “the initiative was part of the Nigerian Government’s broader strategy to convert the country’s demographic advantage into jobs, export earnings and investment.”
Oduwole said the National Talent Export Programme had set a target of enabling one million export-linked jobs by 2030.
She said the government was building the infrastructure required to connect Nigerian talent with international demand, stressing that “a digital services survey conducted in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme had mapped Nigerian providers across 17 sectors.”
She said more than 90 per cent of the identified digital service providers were headquartered in Nigeria, while 41 per cent of digital entrepreneurs were below 35 years.
Oduwole said established Nigerian firms were already serving an average of 2.6 international markets, describing the figures as evidence of the country’s capacity to compete in the global services market.
The Minister said “the government’s priority was to convert that capacity into contracts and export earnings by ensuring that Nigerian professionals met international standards and consistently delivered quality services.”
Oduwole also announced that Nigeria’s first national outsourcing policy was expected to be launched in November 2026.
She described “Hire from Nigeria” as a national economic proposition rather than merely a communications campaign, saying hiring Nigerian professionals offered businesses access to capability, innovation, competitiveness and value.
The Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, said; “the success of the initiative would depend largely on Nigeria’s ability to produce industry-ready and globally competitive workers.”
Alausa said the country’s youthful population presented both an opportunity and a challenge, stressing the need to equip young Nigerians with relevant skills.
He disclosed that more than 200,000 Nigerians were being trained across more than 1,200 technical and vocational education centres, with greater emphasis on practical skills.
The Minister also announced plans to establish a Digital Technology Academy to train more than 35,000 Nigerians in areas including software development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other emerging technologies.
He said; “the initiative would complement the existing 3 Million Technical Talent programme and prepare Nigerians to work for international companies while remaining in the country.”
Also speaking, the founder and President of Tech4Dev, Joel Ogunsonla, said Nigeria had effectively been exporting its talent for decades but had not fully captured the economic value generated by its professionals.
Ogunsonla identified discoverability, trust and global access as key challenges the campaign seeks to address.
He said “the initiative was ultimately about creating jobs, expanding opportunities for young people and women, increasing foreign exchange earnings and supporting economic growth.”
The “Hire from Nigeria” campaign is being implemented through collaboration among the Ministries of Information and National Orientation; Industry, Trade and Investment; Education; the National Talent Export Programme; Tech4Dev; the Bank of Industry’s iDICE programme and other public- and private-sector partners.
