The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC), Dr Yusuf Yakub, says Nigeria has signed an agreement with the Republic of Jamaica to deploy about 400 Nigerian youths to work in the country for an agreed period.
He said the deployment would commence in the first quarter of 2027, describing the initiative as part of efforts to create legitimate international employment opportunities for Nigerian youths and reduce the risks associated with irregular migration.
Yakub disclosed this in Abuja during the briefing, orientation and send-off ceremony for 21 volunteers ahead of their deployment to Uganda for two-year technical service assignments under the Technical Aid Corps programme.
In a statement by the NTAC Head of Information and Public Relations, Mr Ojo Olubunmi, Yakub said the initiative would help reduce unemployment and irregular migration while increasing foreign remittances to Nigeria.
According to him, “Nigeria’s labour for dignity would kick off in the first quarter of next year”, adding that the exercise would be free, fair and reflect federal character in the selection process.
The Director-General charged the 21 Nigerian professionals being deployed to Uganda to uphold the country’s values of excellence, professionalism, discipline and patriotism.
He stressed that the volunteers were going out not merely as Nigerians but as representatives and ambassadors of the country.
Yakub reminded the volunteers that their conduct and professional contributions would shape perceptions of Nigeria in their host communities, urging them to conduct themselves in ways that would make the country proud.
“You are going out there as Nigeria, not only as Nigerians, because what people will see when you are out there in the school, in the hospital, in your offices or on the streets of Uganda, they will be seeing Nigeria in you.
“You are going there to serve humanity, impact knowledge and provide services to our brothers and sisters. I therefore encourage you to carry the Nigerian flag proudly and conduct yourselves in a way that will make our country proud,” he said.
The Director-General urged the volunteers to approach their assignments with humility, discipline, adaptability and a spirit of sacrifice, noting that volunteer service could expose them to conditions different from those to which they were accustomed in Nigeria.
He also emphasised the importance of excellence in service, urging them to deploy their expertise diligently and leave a positive and lasting impact on their host institutions and communities.
According to Yakub, NTAC, established in 1987 under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an instrument of Nigeria’s soft-power diplomacy, had remained a significant vehicle for sharing Nigerian expertise with developing countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
He disclosed that the programme had, over the past 38 years, deployed more than 12,000 Nigerian experts to over 40 countries, while about 1,500 volunteers had been deployed within the first three years of the present administration.
“The Technical Aid Corps programme is a practical demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment to South-South Cooperation, through which developing countries share their human resources, knowledge, skills and expertise for mutual development,” Yakub said.
He noted that the programme underscored Nigeria’s contribution to global development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, stressing that Nigeria was not merely a beneficiary of international development assistance but also a contributor to the development of other nations.
Yakub also highlighted the government’s emerging initiative on the dignified international deployment of Nigerian skilled workers under negotiated employment arrangements that provide appropriate remuneration, protection and dignity.
He further said NTAC would provide the volunteers’ salaries and allowances, while the host country would provide accommodation, utilities and transportation to their places of work.
Earlier, the NTAC Director of Programmes, Ambassador Bello Jaiye, presented the 21 volunteers to the Director-General on behalf of the directorate.
The director, who was represented by the Assistant Director of Programmes, Mr Akin Falusi, described the volunteers as a distinguished group of highly qualified Nigerian professionals drawn from different parts of the country.
He said they had successfully undergone the required processes and were prepared to take up their respective assignments in Uganda.
He commended the NTAC leadership for the support provided towards the successful deployment exercise and expressed confidence that the volunteers would make meaningful contributions to their host institutions while representing Nigeria creditably.
In his remarks, the Team Lead of the 21-member volunteer group, Professor Rilwanu Umar, expressed appreciation to NTAC for the opportunity to serve under the Technical Aid Corps programme.
Umar, who said he had been associated with NTAC for more than a decade and had participated in several interviews and orientation exercises, commended the programme and expressed confidence in the processes guiding the current deployment.
He assured the agency that the volunteers were determined to give their best, work collectively and contribute meaningfully to the development of their host institutions and communities throughout their two-year assignment.
The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps remains committed to advancing Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives through technical cooperation, knowledge exchange, human capital development, South-South Cooperation and the deployment of Nigerian expertise to partner countries.
