Nigeria pitches itself as a global outsourcing hub

Vice President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria can generate one million export-linked jobs by 2030 as the government and private sector launch the Hire From Nigeria campaign in New York. The effort aims to connect Nigerian talent with international employers and expand the country’s role in digital trade, outsourcing and services.

Why it matters: - Nigeria is trying to turn its young, English-speaking workforce into a bigger source of export earnings. - The campaign targets one million export-linked jobs by 2030, up from about 20,000 today. - The effort is meant to deepen Nigeria’s role in global outsourcing, services and digital trade.

What happened: - Vice President Kashim Shettima spoke at the global launch of Hire From Nigeria in New York on 24 September 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. - Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, delivered Shettima’s keynote address. - The campaign had already been launched nationally in Abuja on 31 August 2026. - Hire From Nigeria is a private sector-led, government-supported campaign.

The details: - The campaign positions Nigeria as a source of talent, services and technology-enabled capabilities for global employers, clients and markets. - The program is designed to make Nigerian talent easier for international businesses to discover. - It also aims to securely connect global businesses with Nigeria’s wider value chain opportunities. - Shettima said the global outsourced services market will be worth more than a trillion dollars in a few years and called Nigeria “the next frontier for global outsourcing.” - Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Jumoke Oduwole said Hire From Nigeria combines youth, job creation, services and digital trade under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s priorities. - Minister of Education Tunji Alausa said Nigeria missed the first outsourcing wave 25 to 30 years ago and does not want to miss the next one. - Alausa said education reforms are meant to shift learning toward solving problems and earning income. - Tech4Dev President and co-founder Joel Ogunsola said Africa’s outsourcing market is growing three times faster than comparable global markets. - Ogunsola said domestic and international outsourcing companies already employ an estimated 20,000 Nigerians in areas including customer and business operations, technology and data, and specialised and regulated services. - Ogunsola said Nigeria’s skills investment must be demand-driven and built on trust, easy talent discovery and job matching. - Mastercard Foundation Country Director for Nigeria Rosy Fynn said the foundation wants training to follow market demand, not the other way around. - Itana co-founder and Executive Chairman Luqman Edu said Nigeria has talent and the infrastructure is being built to help that talent solve problems at competitive pricing. - Bank of Industry Divisional Head of Multilaterals Yinka Adegboye said the bank supports young entrepreneurial talent through programs such as iDICE. - NIMC Director-General/CEO Abisoye Coker-Odusote said digital credentials that are verifiable locally and internationally are being rolled out to strengthen trust for employers.

Between the lines: - The launch shows a coordinated push by government, development partners and the private sector to package Nigeria as an export platform for services, not just goods. - The focus on verifiable digital identity, skills pipelines and talent infrastructure suggests trust is a central barrier the campaign wants to remove. - The attendance of agencies including NITDA, NIMC, NASENI, the SEC, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and Galaxy Backbone signals a broad policy effort rather than a single ministry initiative. - Private sector participation from outsourcing, financial services, manufacturing, education and healthcare points to a cross-industry bid to scale demand for Nigerian talent.

What's next: - Hire From Nigeria will lean on the National Talent Export Programme, or NATEP, and federal ministry support to expand international job and client connections. - The campaign will continue working with the Bank of Industry’s iDICE program and the Mastercard Foundation to strengthen the talent pipeline. - If the initiative gains traction, Nigeria could capture more of the global outsourcing market as employers look for lower-cost, English-speaking talent.

The bottom line: - Nigeria is making a formal bid to become a major outsourcing destination, and the government is framing talent export as a path to jobs, foreign earnings and digital growth.