The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has called for stronger alignment between Nigeria’s education and skills development system and the growing demand for Nigerian talent in the global economy.
Alausa made the call at the official launch of the “Hire From Nigeria” Campaign, saying young Nigerians must be equipped to secure international employment and deliver services to global employers while working from Nigeria.
He described the initiative as a practical expression of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and an opportunity to transform Nigeria’s youthful population into a productive economic asset.
The Minister said the Ministry of Education was strengthening the pipeline of skilled, certified and industry-ready Nigerians capable of competing in the international labour market.
He noted that more than 200,000 Nigerians were currently undergoing training across over 1,200 skills training centres, with programmes increasingly adopting an 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theoretical model.
According to him, trainees are assessed and certified through relevant national skills certification processes to improve their employability.
Alausa also highlighted the planned Digital Technology Academy, being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, which is expected to train more than 35,000 Nigerians in software development, cybersecurity, IT automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, natural language processing, cloud computing and quantum computing.
He said the six-to-eight-month programme would provide professional certifications to enhance participants’ access to international technology opportunities.
The Minister added that partnerships with global technology companies, including Amazon Web Services, were expanding digital training in tertiary institutions, with nearly 50 institutions already onboarded onto the AWS Online Academy.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, formally announced the campaign, describing it as a market-facing initiative designed to position Nigerian talent and services before international employers, outsourcing companies and investors.
Oduwole said the campaign, implemented through the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) with private-sector and development partners, was targeting one million export-linked jobs by 2030.
She said Nigeria’s professional workforce, growing technology ecosystem, strong services base and strategic time zone provided significant advantages that could be converted into international contracts, export earnings and investment.
She disclosed that NATEP, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, had developed a digital services survey and directory mapping Nigerian service providers across 17 sectors.
Oduwole said the Hire From Nigeria proposition would be presented to the international market during the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 24 at the Nigerian House in New York.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the initiative reflected the changing nature of international trade, where knowledge, skills, creativity and professional services could be delivered across borders without physical movement of goods.
Former Minister and Special Guest, Dr Sunday Dare, commended the education reforms, saying Nigeria’s young and technology-driven population could build globally competitive technology and outsourcing industries if effectively trained and connected to international markets.
The Founder and President of Tech4Dev, Mr Joel Ogunsola, said the campaign would address barriers around discoverability, trust and access by creating clearer pathways for graduates, skilled workers, digital professionals, non-graduates and creatives to secure international opportunities.
Alausa assured that the Federal Ministry of Education would continue to deepen reforms aimed at making education more practical, industry-responsive and aligned with the changing world of work.
