In a bold move to position Nigeria as a top global supplier of skilled digital and professional talent, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has officially relaunched the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP).
Spearheaded by Honourable Minister Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, this renewed initiative is designed to unlock opportunities in the $1 trillion global outsourcing market and directly tackle youth unemployment through structured, ethical talent export pathways.
“What we celebrate today is not merely the launch of a program; it represents the continuation of a vision to position Nigeria as a global leader in the future of work and services,” said Dr. Oduwole.
“With digital transformation firmly embedded in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic vision, Nigeria is enhancing the infrastructure, systems, and policy tools necessary for an inclusive and innovation-driven future.”
Aligning directly with President Tinubu’s 8-point agenda, NATEP focuses on empowering Nigeria’s young population, expanding access to global service export markets, and fostering inclusive economic growth.
The programme builds on Nigeria’s natural advantages, a youthful, English-speaking population, a strategic time zone, and rapidly expanding digital infrastructure, to position the country as Africa’s unrivaled global talent hub.
NATEP aims to create 1 million direct export-linked jobs and as many as 5 million indirect jobs over the next five years.
It also targets more than $1 billion in foreign direct investment to fuel the growth of Nigeria’s service export economy, with an emphasis on high-impact sectors like technology, business process outsourcing, healthcare, the creative economy, professional services, and remote work.
To lead this next chapter, Mrs. Teju Abisoye has been appointed National Coordinator of NATEP.
A development finance expert with over 20 years of experience in employment-focused interventions and entrepreneurship support, Abisoye brings proven leadership and execution strength to the ambitious national plan.
“Our mandate at NATEP is to position Nigeria as Africa’s peerless global talent hub by building an enabling ecosystem through policy, platforms, promotion, and partnerships,” she said.
“We would actualise this critical national objective by upskilling and enabling Nigeria’s teeming young human capital to take advantage of the $1 trillion global service trade, with soaring demand for digital services, outsourcing, and remote work.
This is one of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s strategic interventions to tackle youth unemployment head-on, generate vital foreign exchange, and diversify our economy through service sector expansion.”
NATEP, which has evolved from a basic outsourcing facilitator into a full-scale ecosystem enabler, will now focus on driving policy reform, expanding digital infrastructure, strengthening international partnerships, and creating reliable talent pipelines aligned with global standards.
The programme includes plans to train 10 million Nigerians in globally recognized digital and professional certifications, incentivize BPO and IT-enabled service companies to expand locally, establish legal frameworks for ethical talent export, and build a national talent database to connect Nigerian professionals with global opportunities.
As part of the relaunch, the Honourable Minister led a high-level delegation on May 30, 2025, to Alaro City, home of Itana, Nigeria’s first Digital Special Economic Zone — to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that cements collaboration between the public and private sectors.
“I am proud to announce a significant milestone in this effort: the successful signing of a strategic agreement to create an initial 100,000 jobs across high-impact sectors, made possible through collaboration with platforms like Itana, Alaro City, and other partners to mark the beginning of a new phase of joint execution,” Dr. Oduwole said.
With NATEP’s renewed direction and leadership, Nigeria is setting its sights on becoming a dominant force in the global digital economy, and giving its youth a pathway to contribute, compete, and thrive on the world stage.
