The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) says effective implementation is crucial to ensure the success of the federal government’s National Talent Export Programme (NATEP).

NECA’s director-general, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, made this known in a statement by the association’s media relations officer, Seun Amigun, on Monday in Lagos.

Mr Oyerinde commended the federal government for reviving NATEP and acknowledged the initial progress made under the initiative.

The federal government first unveiled NATEP in September 2023 and relaunched it in June 2025.

The programme aims to position Nigeria as a global hub for service exports, talent development, and international talent deployment.

It targets the creation of one million jobs over five years and seeks to boost Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings by leveraging its human capital.

Mr Oyerinde cited National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data, which showed that over 2.3 million Nigerians were unemployed in 2023 and 133 million were living in poverty in 2022.

He stressed that, given these figures, initiatives focused on job creation were necessary to ease the hardship faced by many Nigerian households.

“Though Nigeria is rich in natural and human resources, implementation and coordination—not policy absence—remain the key challenges,” he said.

According to him, NATEP is well-positioned to address these challenges, particularly in harnessing and exporting Nigeria’s large talent base.

He highlighted NATEP’s core pillars —policy support, talent development, infrastructure and innovation, and financial incentives — as its strategic framework.

The DG noted existing fragmentation in the business process outsourcing (BPO) and talent export sectors, which lacked coherent policy direction.

He expressed optimism that NATEP, led by Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, would bring needed coordination.

Mr Oduwole previously headed the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), known for its reforms.

Since its relaunch, NATEP has gained momentum, marked by MoUs and commitments from global tech firms like Huawei and Microsoft.

“These developments show promise in making Nigeria Africa’s leading outsourcing destination,” he said.

However, NECA urged NATEP to align with key International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions for ethical outsourcing practices.

These include ILO Convention No. 88 on public employment services and Convention No. 181 on private employment agencies.

He encouraged Nigerian youths to register in the NATEP database to fully benefit from its opportunities.

He also advised them to acquire relevant skills and certifications through recognised training agencies to boost global employability.

The DG recommended embedding key skill sets into national curricula from the secondary school level to ensure a steady talent pipeline.

Mr Oyerinde emphasised the need to balance domestic skill demands with talent export to avoid excessive brain drain and socio-economic setbacks.

(NAN)