NEWS
FG Launches ‘Hire From Nigeria’ Campaign to Connect Nigerian Talent With Global Jobs
The Federal Government has launched the “Hire From Nigeria” Campaign, a major national initiative aimed at connecting qualified Nigerian professionals, skilled workers, digital experts, creatives and service providers with international employers and clients.
The initiative is designed to enable Nigerians to secure global employment opportunities and international service contracts while working remotely from within the country, potentially opening a new chapter in Nigeria’s drive to create jobs, diversify the economy and expand its services exports.
The campaign is aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on job creation, human capital development, economic diversification and skills development. It brings together the Federal Ministries of Education; Industry, Trade and Investment; Information and National Orientation; Labour and Employment; and Foreign Affairs, alongside the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), Tech4Dev, universities, development partners and private-sector stakeholders.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, described Nigeria’s youthful population as a major human capital advantage that must be deliberately transformed into a demographic dividend through quality education, practical skills, credible certification and access to decent, well-paying employment.
Alausa noted that more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population is below the age of 30, stressing that the demographic profile gives the country enormous potential to become a leading source of globally competitive talent.
According to him, the Federal Government is determined to ensure that Nigerians are properly trained, certified and prepared to take advantage of employment opportunities in the global economy, regardless of where such opportunities are located.
He explained that the Ministry of Education was repositioning the nation’s education system away from predominantly theoretical learning towards practical, competency-based and industry-responsive training.
The Minister disclosed that more than 200,000 Nigerians are currently undergoing training in over 1,200 skills centres, with the programmes structured around an 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theoretical model.
He added that trainees are assessed and certified under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to improve the credibility and international recognition of their skills.
Alausa further pointed to the rapid expansion of the global services economy, particularly Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and digitally delivered services, as a major opportunity for Nigeria to create employment, retain talent and generate foreign exchange without requiring workers to relocate abroad.
He also highlighted the planned Digital Technology Academy, being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation. The academy is expected to train more than 35,000 Nigerians in areas including software development, cybersecurity, IT automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, cloud computing and quantum computing.
The six-to-eight-month programme will offer professional certifications, while partnerships with technology companies have already resulted in the enrolment of nearly 50 tertiary institutions in the AWS Online Academy.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the campaign reflects the changing nature of international trade, where knowledge, creativity, technical expertise and professional services can increasingly be delivered across borders without the physical movement of goods.
Idris identified Nigeria’s large youthful population, English-language proficiency, entrepreneurial culture and rapidly expanding technology and creative industries as strategic advantages that could position the country strongly in the global services economy.
He pledged his ministry’s communications support to promote Nigerian talent both within the country and internationally, while ensuring that Nigeria’s capabilities are presented to global markets in a clear, credible and consistent manner.
Formally launching the campaign, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, described “Hire From Nigeria” as a market-facing national economic proposition rather than simply a communications campaign.
She said the initiative was designed to transform Nigeria’s talent and enterprise into international contracts, jobs, export earnings and investment opportunities.
Oduwole disclosed that NATEP is pursuing a demand-led services export strategy with an ambitious target of facilitating one million export-linked jobs by 2030.
She said Nigeria’s large professional workforce, expanding technology ecosystem, established services sector and strategic time zone give the country a strong foundation to compete in the international services market.
According to her, NATEP, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), conducted a digital services survey and developed a directory of Nigerian service providers across 17 sectors.
The survey revealed that more than 90 per cent of the businesses covered are headquartered in Nigeria, while 41 per cent of digital entrepreneurs are below 35 years. It also showed that established Nigerian firms serve an average of 2.6 international markets.
Oduwole announced that the campaign will receive an international showcase at the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2026, at the Nigerian House in New York.
The event is expected to provide an opportunity to engage global employers, BPO buyers, investors and strategic partners on opportunities to hire Nigerian professionals, outsource services to Nigerian companies, enter into contracts and invest in the country’s growing talent ecosystem.
The Senior Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and NATEP, Mrs. Olajumoke Dan-Okayi, said NATEP was developing structures to support the campaign, including the National Coordination Mechanism for Services Exports and the Nigeria Talent Accelerator Network.
She also disclosed that Nigeria is participating as a Country Partner for the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2026, while a proposed National Outsourcing Policy, expected in November 2026, is being developed to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in BPO, Global Business Services and digitally delivered work.
For Tech4Dev, the campaign addresses one of the major challenges facing Nigeria’s talent ecosystem.
The organisation’s Founder and President, Mr. Joel Ogunsola, said Nigeria had been exporting talent for decades without fully capturing the economic value generated by its skilled workforce. He identified discoverability, trust and global access as some of the critical barriers preventing Nigerian professionals from fully benefiting from international opportunities.
He said the campaign would seek to make Nigeria easier for international employers to discover, Nigerian talent easier to trust and Nigerian professionals easier to hire.
Special Guest, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Dr. Sunday Akin Dare, commended the Federal Government’s increasing emphasis on practical and technical education, saying Nigeria’s youthful and technology-driven population could become a powerful engine of economic transformation if effectively connected to global markets.
The Federal Government said the “Hire From Nigeria” Campaign represents a strategic effort to position Nigerian talent as an exportable national asset, opening pathways for professionals and businesses to participate in the global economy without necessarily leaving the country.
Beyond employment, the initiative is expected to support foreign exchange generation, attract investment, strengthen Nigeria’s services export industry and create sustainable opportunities for the country’s growing youthful population.
With millions of Nigerians entering the labour market and the global economy increasingly embracing remote work and digitally delivered services, the Federal Government is betting on talent not just oil and physical commodities, as 
a major driver of Nigeria’s next phase of economic growth.