Message From The Minister
Dr. Doris Anite, CFA
Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment
Welcome to natep.gov.ng! The Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda, is committed to diversifying the economy and creating sustainable employment opportunities, especially for youths by creating millions of jobs.
As part of our strategy towards achieving the agenda for job creation, we have initiated the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) for Nigeria, which targets the creation of 1million jobs across Nigeria, over a 5 year period. Mr. President endorsed the programme and approved its launch on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 2023 in New York, United States of America.
NATEP is a key national initiative that will position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service exports, talent sourcing and talent exports. NATEP will serve as a dedicated entity to address the unique needs and challenges faced by the talent and service export industry. The programme will lay special emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth through trade in services. It will serve as a catalyst for the development of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Talent Export industries and ecosystems, which are the two channels for NATEP’s activities.
It is noteworthy that the global talent sourcing industry was valued at US$620.381 billion in 2020 and is forecasted to be valued at US$904.948 billion by 2027. With a youthful population and over 1.7 million graduates from the higher educational institutions joining the workforce each year, Nigeria has the potential to provide high quality talent for the global service export and outsourcing industry.
As a country, we have a significant value proposition for regional and global markets for the export of services. We will actively target Greenfield and Brownfield job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, among others. We will also take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement to access the African market.
The four-pronged objectives of the NATEP initiative are as follows:
1. To deliver 1 million service-export jobs over the next 5 years;
2. To increase foreign exchange earnings and revenue for Nigeria;
3. To create economic growth and stimulate the growth of ancillary industries and support services; and
4. To improve skills and strengthen the Nigerian Brand.
As it seeks to achieve these objectives, NATEP will ride on some strategic advantages of the Nigerian market that position us as a service export and outsourcing destination of choice. Some of these advantages include the following: strategic location and time zone, highly skilled workforce, cost-effective services, robust digital infrastructure, language and cultural compatibility, government support and stability and data privacy & security, among others.
Similarly, it has been estimated that by 2030, around 85 million jobs will remain unfilled globally due to skill shortages resulting in a loss of US$8.5 trillion. Nigerians has a large, youthful and skillful population that can take advantage of this in a way that can significantly benefit our economy.
To put it succinctly, the Federal Government’s message through the launch of National Talent Export Programme is clear- Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent exports! We have the vision and commitment and we seek the partnership and trust of Nigerians and the global community as we embark on this mutually beneficial journey.
As part of our strategy towards achieving the agenda for job creation, we have initiated the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) for Nigeria, which targets the creation of 1million jobs across Nigeria, over a 5 year period. Mr. President endorsed the programme and approved its launch on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 2023 in New York, United States of America.
NATEP is a key national initiative that will position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service exports, talent sourcing and talent exports. NATEP will serve as a dedicated entity to address the unique needs and challenges faced by the talent and service export industry. The programme will lay special emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth through trade in services. It will serve as a catalyst for the development of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Talent Export industries and ecosystems, which are the two channels for NATEP’s activities.
