The Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Anite announced that the Federal Government and the U.S. Cybersecurity Institute, Lab Four, are collaborating to create about 50,000 jobs.
This was disclosed during the signing of the memorandum of understanding on Monday in Abuja.
The Minister said, that the collaboration between the Federal Government and the U.S. Cybersecurity Institute, Lab Four, is projected to create 50,000 Business Process Outsourcing jobs such as telesales, customer service, virtual administrative assistant, marketing/social media assistant, and tech/cybersecurity over the next three years.
According to the Anite, this initiative, under the National Talent Export Programme, which signed the MoU with Lab Four, could bring an annual influx of up to 1.2 billion dollars to the Nigerian economy.
It is reported that the worldwide talent sourcing market was estimated at $620.381 billion in 2020, with projections to reach $904.948 billion by 2027, with Nigeria holding significant promise in supplying top-tier talent to the international service export and outsourcing sector, according to nairametrics.
Anite stated “The MoU being signed between NATEP and Lab Four is to channel 50,000 BPO jobs to Nigeria over the next three years.
“In job categories such as telesales, customer service, virtual administrative assistant, marketing/social media assistant, and tech/cybersecurity.
“The jobs generated through this partnership have the potential to annually attract up to 1.2 billion dollars into the Nigerian economy through remuneration to the employed persons.
“In addition to about 60 million dollars that it will provide to develop the BPO ecosystem through direct support to the individual BPOs.”
The Minister pointed out that NATEP represents a major domestic effort to establish Nigeria as the global centre for service exports, talent sourcing, and export of skilled labour.
Anite stressed the role of NATEP as a specialized agency to tackle the specific requirements and obstacles encountered in the talent and service export sector.
“The programme lays special emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth through trade in services.
“It will catalyze the development of the BPO and Talent Export industries and ecosystems, which are the two channels for NATEP’s activities,” she noted.
In his remark, the National Coordinator of NATEP, Dr. Femi Adeluyi stated that SMEs would be targeted for this programme. He promised a transparent selection procedure, where only the most qualified candidates would be considered after a thorough assessment.
Adeluyi encouraged Nigerians to seek more details about the program on the NATEP website(www.natep.gov.ng).
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Lab Four, Mr. Anthony Okhiria, spoke about the company’s commitment to creating more jobs in Nigeria.
He said, “And that is what this is doing. This is huge because it allows Nigeria to accelerate its talent export much quicker.
“Different businesses across the country can be developed, which generates revenue for them. Also, individuals can make money and take it to their families.
“So we are very excited to be part of the solution to that. I look forward to working with you on this.”
In addition, a representative of the United States Embassy, Mr John Dunham, said the most valuable resource Nigeria had was its abundant human population.
Dunham noted “Another very important part is the rapid growth of IT, entrepreneurs, and exporters in the country, particularly among the young people.
“And I am happy to see that the U.S. is trying to encourage the growth of this sector, that will be a game changer for Nigeria.”
