FG launches “Hire from Nigeria” campaign, targets one million export-linked jobs in five years

The Federal Government has launched the “Hire from Nigeria” campaign to market Nigeria’s skilled workforce to global employers, targeting one million export-linked jobs over five years and positioning the country as a major hub for talent and services exports.

Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris announced the initiative at a news conference in Abuja on Monday.

The campaign aims to enable Nigerians to secure employment with international clients and employers without leaving the country, generating foreign exchange inflows and tax revenues while expanding the country’s global economic footprint.

What they are saying

Idris said the campaign would communicate directly with employers, investors, and businesses worldwide about the quality and availability of Nigerian talent.

• “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,” he said.
• “The world should look to Nigeria,” he added, describing the country’s workforce as ready to compete in the global economy.

Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa said the campaign was built around three dimensions — demand, supply, and partnership — and cited 2025 UNESCO data showing approximately 2.3 million vacancies globally across seven technology-related fields.

He said 35,000 Nigerians would be trained over a six-month period under the Digital Technology Academy, with government funding for international certifications through Coursera, AWS, Microsoft, and Huawei, among other platforms. He said the necessary licences for the training and certification programmes have already been purchased.

He said the government was also working on the supply side through the 3 Million Technical Talent programme and the Digital Technology Academy, aimed at making Nigerian youth industry-relevant and globally competitive.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Jumoke Oduwole said the initiative reframed what Nigeria exports, moving beyond oil and physical commodities toward skills and digital services.

Oduwole described the campaign as a model of public-private collaboration involving the Federal Ministries of Industry and Education, the National Talent Export Programme, the Bank of Industry’s iDICE programme, and domestic and international private-sector partners.

Alausa also said the initiative’s objective was not to encourage emigration but to enable Nigerians to access the global labour market remotely, keeping talent and earnings within the country while serving clients abroad.

Get up to speed

The “Hire from Nigeria” campaign builds on the Federal Government’s broader effort to turn Nigeria’s large youth population into a source of export earnings by connecting skilled workers with international employers.

• In June 2025, the government relaunched the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), targeting one million direct export-linked jobs and up to five million indirect jobs within five years as it sought to position Nigeria to compete for a share of the global outsourcing and services market.
• NATEP also said in June 2026 that it was developing a new financing framework to scale talent development and export-led growth, with its next phase expected to focus on expanding globally recognised skills and certifications, strengthening partnerships and advancing Nigeria’s participation in the global services export market.

The push also complements the government’s investment in digital skills. In May, the Federal Government partnered with Coursera to launch the Digital Training Academy, targeting 36,000 Nigerian youths with globally recognised certifications in areas including AI and cybersecurity.

The “Hire from Nigeria” campaign takes that effort a step further by focusing on connecting trained Nigerian professionals with employers and clients abroad.

What you should know

The Federal Government has already been working to connect Nigerians trained under its digital skills programmes with employment opportunities, both within and outside the country.

In August 2025, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said the government was partnering with business process outsourcing (BPO) companies to create job opportunities for Nigerians trained under the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.

At the time, more than 117,000 Nigerians had been trained under the initiative, with some already employed, while the government sought to expand opportunities for others through partnerships with technology and outsourcing companies.