Global talent export: FG inks MOU for outsourcing of 50,000 jobs
The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Outstanding with Lab Four to facilitate the outsourcing of 50,000 jobs to Nigeria.
The MoU was signed on behalf of the FG by the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP).
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, speaking at the signing of the MoU this in Abuja on Monday also noted that about $60 million will be provided to develop the BPO ecosystem, through direct support to the individual BPOs.
She said the federal government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda, is committed to diversifying the economy and creating sustainable employment opportunities, especially for the youths by creating millions of jobs.
According to her, the service industry has been a top player in the economy, consistently providing over 50 percent of our GDP over the last 10 years, averaging 51.96 percent between 2012 and 2022 and “we are committed to strengthening this industry and using it as a catalyst for job creation.”
“As part of our strategy towards achieving the agenda for job creation, we have initiated the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) for Nigeria, which targets the creation of 1million jobs for Nigerians, over a 5 year period.”
She explained that the NATEP is a key national initiative that will position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service exports, talent sourcing and talent exports.
“It will serve as a catalyst for the development of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Talent Export industries and ecosystems, which are the two channels for NATEP’s activities.
“It is interesting to note that the global talent sourcing industry was valued at US$620.381 billion in 2020 and is forecasted to be valued at US$904.948 billion by 2027.
“Similarly, it has been estimated that by 2030, around 85 million jobs will remain unfilled globally due to skill shortages resulting in a loss of US$8.5 trillion.
“Nigerians have a large, youthful and skillful population that can take advantage of this in a way that can significantly benefit our economy.
“The MoU being signed between NATEP and Lab Four is to channel 50,000 BPO jobs to Nigeria over the next 3 years in job categories such as telesales, customer service, virtual administrative assistant, marketing/social media assistant and tech/cybersecurity,” she said.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), Dr Femi Adeluyi, explained that the NATEP was launched on the sidelines of the 2023 edition of the United Nations General Assembly to connect Nigerians to employment opportunities outside the country through 2 channels, namely physical talent export and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
He said through NATEP, Nigeria can honourably export her talents in a mutually beneficial and reputation preserving way, significantly reducing illegal migration.
“NATEP is also positioning Nigeria as an outsourcing destination of choice as it catalyses the growth and development of the micro, mini and mega BPO ecosystems and industries in Nigeria.
“One of such partnerships is with the Cybersecurity Institute at Lab Four. Cybersecurity Institute at Lab Four is an accredited, nontraditional training provider based in Memphis, United States of America with over 15 years’ experience helping people start and advance their careers in the Information Technology (IT) and Cybersecurity fields.
“Their remote work platform is a marketplace focused on connecting skilled professionals in the world to remote work opportunities in the West.
“They are democratising BPO for small and medium-sized Western employers who want to leverage these opportunities to grow, while simultaneously providing opportunities for economic growth and liquidity in developing countries,” he said.
