The Federal Government has launched the “Hire From Nigeria” campaign, an initiative designed to connect Nigerians with international employment opportunities without requiring them to leave the country.
The campaign seeks to position Nigeria as a global hub for skilled talent and digitally delivered services, particularly by enabling young Nigerians to secure international jobs and serve overseas clients remotely from within the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the initiative marked a shift in Nigeria’s approach to exports, with greater emphasis on knowledge, skills, creativity and professional services alongside traditional commodities.
Idris said the campaign would help demonstrate to young Nigerians that participating in the global economy did not necessarily mean migrating abroad.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said the initiative would establish the commercial framework needed to connect Nigerian professionals and businesses with demand in international markets.
According to her, the campaign is intended to strengthen the link between Nigeria’s growing pool of skilled workers and employers seeking talent globally.
The Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, said the success of the initiative would depend largely on the country’s ability to produce workers equipped with the skills required by industry and the global labour market.
Alausa described Nigeria’s youthful population as both an opportunity and a challenge, saying the country faced a choice between achieving a demographic dividend and suffering a demographic catastrophe.
He said the administration was working to ensure that Nigeria’s large youth population became an economic asset through education, skills development and access to opportunities.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the campaign reflected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s focus on connecting education and practical skills with economic opportunities.
Also speaking, the Founder and President of Tech4Dev, Joel Ogunsola, said Nigeria had effectively exported talent for decades through migration but lacked a structured system for connecting its skilled workforce with global opportunities while they remained in the country.
He said the new initiative could help bridge that gap by creating a more organised pathway for Nigerian professionals to participate in the global economy remotely.
