Microsoft, Tech4Dev to employ 100,000 African youths

Microsoft has pledged its complete support to Tech4Dev, a non-profit organization in Nigeria, to help provide gainful employment opportunities for young people across Africa and to create 100,000 new jobs over the next seven years through Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).

During the launch of the Taltrix initiative held in Lagos, Mrs. Ola Williams, the Country Director of Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana, underscored the imperative to generate job opportunities for the millions currently undergoing training throughout Nigeria and Africa.

According to her, through Taltrix, Tech4Dev is seeking to bridge the gap by creating employment opportunities for the people being trained.

“Empowerment is not just about providing tools; it’s about creating opportunities,” she stated, underlining the untapped potential of Nigeria’s vibrant, innovative, and English-speaking youth.

“The focal point of this collaboration is Taltrix, a BPO social enterprise emerging from Tech4Dev. With plans to expand across 100 African cities, Taltrix aims to employ 100,000 individuals, leveraging Nigeria’s burgeoning technology and creative ecosystem,” Mrs. Williams said.

The Microsoft Country Director noted that Nigeria and other African countries must move beyond training to start creating job opportunities for the people being trained.

“Nigerians are innovative. We are hungry to learn, we are an entrepreneur, we are hard-working, and we want to make a difference. However, is important that opportunities are created to tap into this potential that people have. And for us, our mission is to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. Empowerment is not just about giving them tools that they need to work, it’s also about creating opportunities for individuals.” Williams said.

Also Read: Microsoft To Empower 10m SMEs By 2025

Taltrix CEO Joel Ogunsola expressed optimism about Nigeria’s potential to become a BPO hub, citing the nation’s youthful population and the government’s commitment to job creation through outsourcing.

“Over the next seven years, we want to directly employ 100,000 people, starting from Nigeria and across Africa. We believe that the outsourcing sector has the probability to grow to become a $200 billion sector on the continent,” Ogunsola said.

Aligning with this vision, Oladiwura Oladepo, Executive Director of Tech4Dev, emphasized that Taltrix’s launch signifies more than job creation, highlighting the investment in human capital development to spur economic growth across the continent.

Oladepo noted that beyond filling job roles, the initiative aims to bridge the gap between underserved demographics and global opportunities, aiming to carve a brighter future for Africa through skilled professional integration.

Motivated by the imperative to equip graduates from Tech4Dev and other digital and creative skills training programs with meaningful employment opportunities, Taltrix emerged as a vital solution in anticipation of a potential surge in unemployment.

With established infrastructure spanning 14 cities in Nigeria and the capacity to employ 1,000 individuals, Taltrix envisions evolving into a pan-African entity, with ambitious plans to extend its impact to 100 cities across the continent in the coming years.