The Nigerian government has announced partnership with the U.S. Cybersecurity Institute, Lab Four, and the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) to create jobs for Nigerians.
The Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Anite announced that the collaboration between the Federal Government and the U.S. Cybersecurity Institute, Lab Four, is expected to create 50,000 Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) jobs such as telesales, customer service, virtual administrative assistant, marketing/social media assistant and tech/cybersecurity over the next three years.
According to the minister during the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing in Abuja on Monday, the jobs generated through this partnership have the potential to annually attract up to $1.2 billion into the Nigerian economy.
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,” Anite said.
The minister emphasized that NATEP is a major national initiative aimed at positioning Nigeria as a leading global hub for service exports, talent acquisition, and talent exports.
Anite highlighted that NATEP acts as a specialized body 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 said.
The minister detailed the four key objectives of the NATEP initiative, which involve creating 1 million service-export jobs over the next five years, improving Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings and revenue, promoting economic development, and encouraging the growth of associated industries and support services.
Furthermore, it aims to improve skills and strengthen the Nigerian brand. Anite emphasized the significance of establishing strategic partnerships with both domestic and international institutions to successfully achieve NATEP’s goals.
“As such, our partnership with Lab Four will be one of the many partnerships we will have to ensure that Nigeria becomes a global hub for thriving micro, mini, and mega BPOs.
“And as a prime location for high-quality talent. We will create an environment for the growth of the BPO industry across the country.
“To enable workers to work in BPOs near their locations of residence,” she said.
NATEP and Lab Four commit to empowering talent export
In his speech, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, the National Coordinator of NATEP, highlighted that the program would prioritize the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector. He assured a transparent selection process for jobs, ensuring that only the most qualified candidates would be shortlisted following a thorough evaluation.
Adeluyi urged Nigerians to visit the NATEP website (www.natep.gov.ng) for further information about the program.
Additionally, Mr. Anthony Okhiria, the Executive Director of Lab Four, expressed the company’s commitment to accelerating job creation in Nigeria.
