Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead a joint effort by the Federal Government and the private sector to market the country’s workforce to global employers on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Thursday.
This is according to a statement signed on Thursday by the Head of Communications, Hire From Nigeria, Oluwatoyin Ashipa, titled ‘Nigeria to Advance Services Exports and Job Creation through Hire from Nigeria Engagement at UNGA 81.’
The event, themed ‘Impact Sourcing As A Driver Of Global Trade And Inclusive Job Creation,’ will bring together senior government officials, state governors, and technology and private-sector leaders before an audience of international employers, investors and partners in New York for UNGA week.
Shettima is expected to speak on the theme ‘Setting the global trade and impact sourcing context; Nigeria’s positioning as the next outsourcing frontier.’
Ashipa described the forum as building directly on the national launch of Hire from Nigeria in Abuja on August 31, 2026, where government and private-sector leaders committed to connecting Nigerian talent across white- and blue-collar roles with global demand.
She called the UNGA side event “the campaign’s first major push onto the international stage.”
Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said, “Our priority is to translate Nigeria’s talent into greater participation in global trade.
“Through Hire from Nigeria, we are working with the private sector to connect Nigerian professionals and service providers with international demand.”
Other officials expected at the meeting include Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago; the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa; the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Bisoye Coker-Odusote; the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Itana, Luqman Edu; the Country Director of Mastercard Foundation Nigeria, Rosy Fynn; the Co-Founder and President of Tech4Dev, Joel Ogunsola; and the Chief Executive Officer of Semicolon Africa, Sam Immanuel.
Tech4Dev Chief, Ogunsola, said, “Nigeria has an opportunity to move from being recognised for the size of its talent pool to being recognised for the value that talent creates globally.
“Hire From Nigeria is about making that value visible and connecting Nigerian capabilities to the businesses and markets that need them.”
Thursday’s forum is the latest stage in a talent-export and outsourcing drive propagated by Vice President Shettima since 2024.
The VP first launched the Outsource To Nigeria Initiative in Gombe on March 4 that year, alongside the commissioning of a Business Process Outsourcing centre, describing it at the time as targeting a global outsourcing market valued at $8.79tn.
OTNI, anchored by the Vice President’s office as a public-private collaboration, was designed to connect global companies with Nigerian talent and had an initial goal of creating over 1,000 jobs in Gombe State, with plans of producing millions of jobs nationwide over time.
Ashipa stated that Nigeria was “already building a strong and diverse talent base from which to compete in the global economy,” adding that the campaign would help the country move from being known for the size of its workforce to being recognised for the commercial value that workforce can deliver globally.
She also said the forum intends to convert international interest generated at UNGA into sustained business relationships beyond the summit.
