The minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite has launched the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) in a bid to position Nigeria as a talent export hub designed to create not less than one million jobs in the next five years.

 

The Minister performed the launching on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the sidelines of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in New York, United States of America.

 

In her opening remarks at the launch of the initiative at the Microsoft office in NewYork, the minister highlighted the need to ensure Nigeria takes the lead in exporting global talents that are doing well across the world which will also drive a huge investment in training and also attracting more investment in talent exportation.

 

According to her, the initiative is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda to diversify the Nigerian economy, create sustainability opportunities and generate about 50 million jobs for the youths over time.

 

“NATEP is an initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service export, talent sourcing and talent export.

 

“As part of our strategy towards achieving this, President Bola Tinubu whose agenda is job creation, we have initiated a National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) for Nigeria, which targets the creation of one million jobs across Nigeria with a target of five years in line with the theme of this year’s UNGA, which is rebuilding trust and igniting global solidarity, accelerating action on the 2030 agenda and the sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, the minister said.

 

Uzoka-Anite further informed the large gathering comprising of world leaders and other giant tech companies across the globe like; Amazon, World Economic Forum, Microsoft group, Flour Mills Nigeria, Meta, Google and a host of others, that the global talent sourcing industry is valued at $620 billion as at 2020 and industry pundit have forecasted it will be valued at about $904 billion by 2027.

 

“Nigeria can supply top talents for the global service export and outsourcing business. With over 1.7 million graduates from higher education institutions entering the workforce annually, this will reduce the burden of unemployment and over-dependence on the government for jobs”, she explained.

 

The Minister further noted that NATEP was specially created to arrest the bottleneck facing the talent and service sector export industry, which will enhance competitiveness, and innovation, and drive sustainable development growth, empowerment and training through trade and value chain exchange.

 

She added: “Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent export, as the government is ready to take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACfTA) to penetrate the huge continental market and target job opportunities.

 

“As a country, we have a significant value proposition for regional and global markets for the export of services. We will actively target Greenfield and brownfield job opportunities in the United Kingdom, Europe, China, Canada, the United States of America and a host of other countries”.

 

The Minister For Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, while addressing participants at the launch disclosed that launching NATEP was timely, adding that to drive the mandate for Nigeria to be positioned as one of the global talent export hubs in Africa and the world will see Nigeria benefit more in terms of generating huge revenue, digitalization of the economy, more robust data protection opportunities and also avert the massive brain drain within the youth demography.

 

According to him, Nigerians in the diaspora are doing great things in the tech world, adding that it’s time for Nigeria to benefit by making more money and develop other youths to maximize their potentials.

 

“With a youthful population and over 1.7 million graduates from higher educational institutions joining the workforce each year, Nigeria has the potential to provide high-quality talent for the Global Service export and outsourcing industry. We must first identify them, train them and make the world see the stuff they are made of. We will not only create jobs but also empower them with the basic skills of survival and pass them on to the next generation” Dr Tijani said.

Wema Bank, Nigeria’s most innovative bank and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has announced the launch of the Hackaholics Digital Summit 2023, Africa’s largest gathering of innovators, disruptors, regulators, policymakers, investors & customers in the digital space.

 

This groundbreaking summit will serve as a hub for sharing cutting-edge insights, trends, and best practices in the tech industry towards the positive transformation of technology and innovation not just in Nigeria but across the African continent.

 

In 2019, Wema Bank introduced Hackaholics, a dedicated initiative targeting youth and startups. Its mission is to provide a stage for entrepreneurs and innovators with transformative, tech-driven concepts to bring their ideas to fruition and refine their skills. The 4th edition of Hackaholics, launched in April 2023, involved several months-long journey to top Nigerian universities to identify and nurture talented students with creative ideas. These students were afforded the opportunity to collaborate, enhance their skills, and actualize their unique concepts through technology. The Hackaholics Digital Summit will host both the grand finale of Hackaholics 4.0 and the inaugural edition of the digital summit.

 

The Hackaholics Digital Summit 2023 is scheduled for October 6, 2023, in Lagos, Nigeria, under the theme “Re-Imagine: Disrupting the Ecosystem for Scale.” This multifaceted event commences with the launch of the Hackaholics Digital Summit and concludes with the exciting grand finale of Hackaholics 4.0. During this grand event, the standout teams from the competition will showcase their innovations, contending for the prestigious titles of Hackaholics 4.0 winners.

 

Notably, the winning team will receive a grant of N10,000,000 worth of prizes, the first runner-up N7,000,000 worth of prizes, the second runner-up N5,000,000 worth of prizes, while a special N3,000,000 grant is reserved exclusively for a female-led team. Additionally, a N15,000,000 grant will be allocated to University STEM endowment.

 

The Digital Summit will further encompass an array of simultaneous master classes, providing attendees with the opportunity to witness the emergence of Africa’s technological future while gaining invaluable insights from renowned experts. These masterclasses will delve into topics such as “The Future of Financial Services,” “Venture Capital and Funding Viable Innovation for Scale,” and “Strategic Technology for Impact & Societal Change: Transforming Today & Tomorrow’s World.”

 

Attendance to this prestigious event is by invitation only; however, interested customers and technology enthusiasts can secure a spot at the Wema Bank Hackaholics Digital Summit 2023 by registering at https://hackaholics.wemabank.com/digital-summit.

 

Don’t miss the chance to be part of this exceptional gathering, charting the course for the future of technology in Africa.