Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor l Journalist at Weng Global
The Federal Government has set a target of producing 10 million globally certified Nigerians and creating one million export-linked jobs by 2030, as it moves to strengthen the country’s participation in the global services and digital economy.
The target is being pursued under the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), with the Federal Ministry of Education playing a key role in developing the skills pipeline required to connect Nigerian workers with international employment opportunities.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed the latest details at the “Hire From Nigeria” side event held on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
According to Alausa, the government is seeking to reposition Nigeria’s education and skills-development system around the needs of employers in the rapidly expanding global outsourcing and digitally enabled services market.
Government links education reform to global jobs
Alausa said Nigeria’s large youthful population, English-language proficiency, cultural adaptability and growing digital capabilities provide a foundation for competing in the international services economy.
He said the challenge was to convert Nigeria’s demographic advantage into verified skills, internationally recognised certifications and reliable service delivery.
The minister identified the disconnect between existing training and changing employer requirements, limited work-based learning opportunities and inadequate access to internationally recognised certifications as challenges that must be addressed.
The government is therefore pursuing curriculum reforms, stronger accreditation and quality assurance, as well as expanded technical and digital training.
A central element of the proposed approach is greater participation by employers.
Rather than relying on periodic curriculum reviews, Alausa said employers should be involved throughout the process, from programme design and training to assessment, certification and recruitment.
The objective is to ensure that training programmes produce workers whose skills correspond directly with actual labour-market demand.
NATEP targets global services market
The education reforms form part of the wider National Talent Export Programme, which was relaunched in 2025 with the goal of connecting Nigerian talent to international demand.
The programme covers areas including technology, business process outsourcing, creative industries, healthcare, professional services and remote work.
Earlier reporting on the programme indicated that its broader ambitions include one million direct export-linked jobs by 2030, alongside additional indirect employment, increased investment in Nigeria’s services economy and greater contribution from service exports.
The strategy reflects a shift towards treating skilled human capital as an exportable economic resource, particularly as digital technology allows workers to provide services to international clients without necessarily relocating abroad.
For Nigeria, this creates an opportunity to participate in global value chains through services as well as traditional exports.
More than one million apply for free TVET programme
The Federal Government is also expanding Technical and Vocational Education and Training as another route into employment and entrepreneurship.
Alausa said the government’s free TVET programme had attracted more than one million applications, with approximately 160,000 trainees supported through about 1,200 centres nationwide.
The centres include federal technical colleges and accredited private training institutions.
The government is promoting multiple routes into the labour market, including university education, TVET, apprenticeships and continuous professional upskilling.
The approach is intended to broaden the definition of employable skills while improving the connection between education, training and economic opportunity.
AI and digital skills become central to training
Artificial intelligence is another major focus of the government’s skills strategy.
Alausa said Nigerian workers must be prepared to work alongside increasingly sophisticated technologies rather than compete with AI in routine tasks.
The skills identified as increasingly important include data literacy, cybersecurity, cloud computing, software development, artificial intelligence, quality assurance, customer success, creativity, professional judgement and domain knowledge.
The Federal Government’s Digital Training Academy is also working with international learning providers, including Coursera and Pluralsight, to provide free professional digital and technology training to 32,000 Nigerians.
The training areas include artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity, IT automation, product management, fintech and natural language processing.
The government has also linked skills development with entrepreneurship through the Student Venture Capital Grant, which supports students in STEMM disciplines seeking to turn innovative ideas into businesses.
Government calls for stronger employer participation
The Federal Government is seeking greater involvement from international employers, Business Process Outsourcing operators, investors and development partners.
Alausa urged employers to clearly identify the skills they require, participate in programme design, provide work-based learning opportunities and recognise credible Nigerian certifications.
He also called on BPO operators and investors to expand delivery centres beyond Nigeria’s major commercial cities while investing in training infrastructure, connectivity, quality systems and management capacity.
Development partners, he said, could contribute through certification programmes, instructor development, labour-market intelligence and systems that measure employment outcomes rather than simply counting the number of people trained.
The approach places greater emphasis on the transition from training to employment, an important issue for a country seeking to convert its large youth population into a productive economic asset.
From talent development to talent export
Nigeria’s talent-export strategy is part of a broader attempt to diversify the economy and increase participation in international services.
The 2025 relaunch of NATEP highlighted the opportunity presented by the global outsourcing industry and identified Nigeria’s youthful population, English proficiency and expanding digital ecosystem as potential advantages.
The strategy also seeks to address the relationship between skills development and international migration.
Rather than relying solely on physical migration for Nigerians to access international opportunities, digital work can allow professionals to provide services to foreign companies while remaining in Nigeria.
However, achieving the government’s targets will depend on more than training numbers.
Internationally recognised certification, reliable internet access, access to computers and other digital infrastructure, quality assurance, employer demand and the ability of trained workers to secure actual contracts or employment will all influence the programme’s outcomes.
The government’s own emphasis on employer participation reflects the importance of ensuring that training is connected to real opportunities.
What happens next?
The Federal Ministry of Education is expected to continue strengthening the supply side of NATEP through curriculum reform, market-relevant TVET and digital-skills programmes, accreditation and quality assurance.
The ministry is also leading the programme’s Supply Technical Working Group, which is responsible for strengthening the connection between education, training providers and employers.
The Federal Government’s stated objective is to build a system capable of connecting Nigerian talent with global opportunities while improving the country’s position in the international services economy.
If implemented effectively, the programme would represent a significant expansion of Nigeria’s approach to skills development, moving beyond conventional education pathways towards a system more closely linked to international labour-market demand.
For millions of Nigerians entering the labour market, the key measure will ultimately be whether training and certification translate into real jobs, sustainable income and access to global markets.
The 2030 targets therefore place a substantial emphasis on implementation: producing 10 million globally certified Nigerians is one objective, but connecting those skills to employers and creating the targeted one million export-linked jobs will determine the practical economic impact of the programme.
Weng Global – Stories beyond borders
Sources
- Federal Ministry of Education statements as reported on the “Hire From Nigeria” side event and comments by Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa.
- Vanguard report on Nigeria’s target of 10 million globally certified workers and one million export-linked jobs by 2030.
- Punch report on the relaunch of the National Talent Export Programme.
- TechCabal/Techpoint Africa reporting on NATEP and Nigeria’s talent-export strategy.
