FG Targets 10m Globally Certified Nigerians, 1m Export Jobs By 2030

By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government has set a target of producing 10 million globally certified Nigerians and creating one million export-linked jobs by 2030 as part of efforts to position the country as a major supplier of talent to the global outsourcing and digitally enabled services market.

The Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this at the Hire From Nigeria side event held on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Mr Alausa said the Federal Ministry of Education was leading the supply side of the National Talent Export Programme by developing a pipeline of trained, certified and adaptable Nigerians with skills aligned with global employment demand.

He said Nigeria’s youthful population, English-language advantage and growing digital capabilities provided a strong foundation for competing in the global services economy, which could create jobs, increase export earnings and enable Nigerians to build international careers without leaving the country.

The minister, however, identified gaps in the talent pipeline, including a mismatch between training and employer demand, limited work-based learning and inadequate access to internationally recognised certifications.

According to him, the government is addressing the gaps through curriculum reform, stronger accreditation and quality assurance, as well as expanded digital and technical training.

The minister said employers must play a more direct role in developing Nigeria’s talent pipeline by participating in programme design, training, assessment, certification and recruitment.

He disclosed that the federal government’s free Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme had received more than one million applications, with 160,000 trainees supported through about 1,200 centres nationwide.

The minister added that the Digital Training Academy was partnering with learning providers, including Coursera and Pluralsight, to provide 32,000 Nigerians with free access to professional digital and technology courses.

He said the training covers areas including cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, fintech, quantum computing and natural language processing.

On artificial intelligence, Mr Alausa said the government would focus on equipping young Nigerians with skills that enable them to work with emerging technologies rather than compete with AI on routine tasks.

He identified judgement, creativity, domain knowledge, data literacy, cybersecurity, cloud services, software development, quality assurance and AI-enabled operations as increasingly important skills in the changing labour market.

Mr Alausa also called on international employers, business process outsourcing operators, investors and development partners to establish practical partnerships that would translate Nigeria’s talent pool into employment and services exports.

He urged employers to define their skills requirements, co-design training programmes, provide work-based learning opportunities and recruit from Nigerian talent pools, while encouraging BPO operators and investors to expand delivery centres beyond the country’s major commercial cities.

The minister said the ministry would deepen industry participation in curriculum development and certification, expand market-relevant TVET and digital-skills pathways, and strengthen links between education institutions, training providers and employers.