The Federal Government on Friday launched a national talent export programme (NATEP), designed to create at least, 1million jobs over the next five years as a special purpose vehicle.
Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, announced this on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in New York, United States.
According to the minister, the initiative was in line with the agenda of the present administration to diversify the Nigerian economy, create sustainability opportunities, and generate about 50million jobs for the youths.
“NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service export, talent sourcing and talent export,” Dr. Uzoka-Anite told a gathering comprising officials of the World Economic Forum and the Microsoft group.
According to the minister, NATEP will be dedicated to address the unique needs and challenges faced by the talent and service sector export industry, laying emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth through trade in services.
Available data indicate that the global talent sourcing industry is valued at $620billion as at 2020 and it is forecasted to be valued at about $904billion by 2027.
“Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent export,” the minister said, noting that government will take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACfTA) to penetrate the continent’s huge market.
Dr. Uzoka-Anite said that with a youthful population of over 1.7million graduates from the higher educational institutions joining the workforce each year, Nigeria has the potentials to provide high quality talent for the global service export and outsourcing industry.
Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Dr. Saadia Zahidi, who also spoke at the event, promised to support Nigeria’s effort in the new talent export programme.
In his remarks, the minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, welcomed the initiative, noting that it was extremely timely.
We have been loosing our top talents to the United Kingdom. We cannot stop people from moving. I have got the mandate to train 10,000 top talents. It’s about meaningful exportation for meaningful value,” he said at the talent which also featured a round table discussion.
