- 250 foreign jobs already set for Nigerians
BY COBHAM NSA – Determined to ensure Nigerians have access to quality employment opportunities on the global stage, the Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Unique Talent Export Limited (UTEL) eyeing about 250 foreign jobs already set for qualified candidates.
The MoU, endorsed on Tuesday, 21st May 2024, will be implemented by the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) and it marks another milestone in the government’s efforts at connecting Nigerians to foreign jobs in Kuwait, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Scandinavian countries among others.
Supervised by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, the MoU was signed with UTEL Ltd, a Nigerian subsidiary of Unique Agency Kuwait – a leading provider of expatriate employees for government agencies and departments in the State of Kuwait.
Importantly, the MoU specified a “1+2” approach for the partnership in efforts to promote talent and services export, as well as managed migration. With this approach, every Nigerian selected through NATEP for a foreign job will benefit from the partners’ assistance in connecting an outsourced role to the Nigerian BPO ecosystem while also supporting the training of a Nigerian to refresh the local workforce.
A statement by the National Coordinator, National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), Dr Femi Adeluyi, said; “the partnership with UTEL to aggregate foreign jobs for Nigerians from Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries” is in line with the Federal Government’s aim of forging mutually beneficial partnerships with nations and global institutions to facilitate the provision jobs for Nigerians.
According to the statement; “These employment opportunities could be direct employment and emigration of our talent or utilisation of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) model for gainful and meaningful employment for those based in Nigeria.
“Through NATEP, Nigeria can honourably export her talents in a mutually beneficial and reputation-preserving way, putting an end to illegal migration and the embarrassment therefrom to the country.”
With an announcement that openings for 250 foreign jobs are available, the statement further said; “Nigerians in the diaspora are known to rise like cream to the top of their professions and data validates this notion” adding; “For example, research from the Migration Policy Institute Washington-DC, indicates that more than have of Nigerian immigrants (54%) are likely to occupy management positions, compared to 32 percent of other immigrants and 39 percent of the US-born population.”
Similarly, the 2021 Office for National Statistics Report from the United Kingdom (UK) showed that 44 percent of adult residents born outside the UK have some form of qualification, compared to 31 percent of UK-born residents, while 66 percent of Nigerian immigrants have received one form of qualification or another. It goes to show the level of quality that Nigerians can bring to the table.
Aside from the Trade and Industry Minister, dignitaries at the event included Romanian Ambassador to Nigeria, Florin Talapan; Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and Chief Host; Ambassador Faruk Yabo, Chairman and CEO of UTEL; Mr Athbi Hussein Al Awadi (Kuwait); Mr. Tahir Saleh Hashim (Oman); and Advokat Torgeir Knutsen (Norway), among others.
Meanwhile, the Minister, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite has assured the partners that Nigeria is fully committed to upskilling its talent pool to power the industrial revitalization plan of the Federal Government and also provide skilled citizens with global talent opportunities.
Launched on September 22, 2023, at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) is a strategic initiative designed to leverage Nigeria’s vibrant human capital to create one million jobs and significantly boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
