My Speech At The Launch Of ‘Hire From Nigeria’ Campaign

It is a pleasure to join my colleagues, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, and the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and other distinguished stakeholders at the official public presentation of the “Hire from Nigeria” Campaign.

Today is an important step in Nigeria’s efforts to position one of our greatest national assets, our people, at the centre of our economic engagement with the world.

For decades, discussions about exports have focused largely on the products that leave our shores: oil, agricultural produce, solid minerals and manufactured goods. But the global economy has changed. Today, knowledge, skills, creativity and professional services can cross borders without the movement of physical goods.

“Hire from Nigeria” is a model public-private collaboration whose key stakeholders and champions include the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), the Bank of Industry’s iDICE programme, as well as domestic and international private sector players. It is designed to position Nigeria as a preferred global source of skilled talent and digitally delivered services.

Indeed, Nigeria is very well placed to compete in the rapidly evolving global economy of the 21st century. We have a large and youthful population, a growing pool of world-class professionals, a strong entrepreneurial culture, strong English-language proficiency, a favourable time zone, and increasing capabilities in technology, creative services, business support and other digitally delivered services.

But having talent is not enough. The world must know that the talent exists, and must have confidence in the quality of our professionals and businesses. That is why communication is central to this Campaign, and is where the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation comes in. The Ministry is proud and delighted to support this effort. We are fully committed to putting the full weight of our communications capacity behind the “Hire from Nigeria” initiative.

We have a responsibility to ensure that the story of Nigerian talent is told clearly, credibly and consistently. Through our communication platforms, agencies and partnerships, we will support efforts to give the campaign the visibility it deserves, both within Nigeria and internationally.

As activities build towards the Campaign’s global launch during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, this initiative presents Nigeria with another opportunity to show the world that our greatest resource is our human talent and capacity.

We will leverage the “Hire from Nigeria Campaign” to speak directly to employers, investors and businesses around the world: affirming that Nigeria is open for business, and that Nigeria has talented people ready to compete, collaborate and contribute in today’s global marketplace.

We will also speak directly to young Nigerians, and remind them that the opportunities of the modern economy are no longer limited by geography. A young Nigerian does not have to leave the country to participate in the global economy.

With the right skills, infrastructure, professional standards, and access to markets, Nigerians can live and work and earn here at home, while providing valuable services to clients and employers worldwide, with Nigeria benefiting from foreign exchange inflows, tax revenues, and an expanded skills and knowledge base.

This is a practical expression of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its focus on job creation, economic diversification, skills development, global integration, and the empowerment of young Nigerians.

Under the President’s vision and leadership, the Federal Government has unveiled a strategy to make Nigeria a major hub for talent and services exports, with the ambition of creating one million export-linked jobs over five years.

The task now is to turn ambition into opportunity, and “Hire from Nigeria” will be at the vanguard of that effort. But it will require close cooperation among government and the private sector; among training institutions and employers; among technology companies and young professionals; and between Nigeria and international markets.

The future of Nigeria’s economy will increasingly be driven by the talent, creativity, skills and productivity of our people.

The message of today is therefore simple: Nigeria is ready to compete on the global stage. Nigerian talent is ready to work. And the world should look to Nigeria.

I commend the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, the NATEP team, Tech-for-Dev, IDICE, and all other partners working to make this campaign a success.

Let us work together to ensure that “Hire from Nigeria” becomes more than a campaign. Let it become a global invitation to discover the skills, creativity, professionalism and enormous potential of the Nigerian people.

Thank you.