The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has said that success is guaranteed if the Federal Government ensures proper coordination and implementation of the relaunched National Talent Export Programme (NATEP).

It equally emphasised the need for NATEP to align with relevant International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) conventions, particularly ILO Convention No. 88 on the role of public employment services and ILO Convention No. 181 concerning private employment agencies, noting that the conventions are critical to establishing ethical and effective frameworks for outsourcing an international talent mobility.

NECA’s Director-General, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, while commenting on the relaunch of the programme, praised the government for reviving NATEP and acknowledged the initial progress made.

He said the goal was to position Nigeria as a global hub for service exports, talent development and international talent deployment, as well as to create one million jobs in five years and increase Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings by leveraging the country’s abundant human capital.

Oyerinde noted that while Nigeria is richly endowed with both natural and human resources, the challenge has not been the absence of sound policies or initiatives but the lack of coordination and effective implementation.

He said that recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicated that over 2.3 million Nigerians were unemployed in 2023, with 133 million people living below the poverty line in 2022, a number he said might have increased.

Oyerinde said that since its relaunch, NATEP had gained traction, marked by the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and commitments from global technology giants, such as Huawei and Microsoft.

These developments, he said, signalled a promising future in positioning Nigeria as Africa’s leading outsourcing destination. The NECA chief, who underscored the importance of maintaining a balance between meeting domestic skills’ demand and exporting talent to avoid excessive brain drain and the potential negative impact on Nigeria’s socio-economic development, encouraged Nigerian youths to register in the NATEP database to take full advantage of the opportunities it offers.

He also urged them to pursue relevant skills and certifications through recognised talent development agencies to enhance their global employability.