FG eyes 10 million certified talents by 2030

The Federal Government of Nigeria aims to create ten million globally certified Nigerians by the year 2030, alongside generating one million export-linked jobs throughout that decade. This ambitious goal was outlined in a recent statement released by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during a "Hire From Nigeria" side event held at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Alausa, speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr. Ikharo Attah, highlighted the Federal Ministry of Education's pivotal role in building a talent pipeline that directly connects to global employment opportunities.

Nigeria's demographic advantage, with its youthful population and English language proficiency, combined with growing digital capabilities, positions the nation favorably within the global outsourcing and digitally enabled services market. Alausa emphasized that Nigeria's key asset lies in its people – a young, ambitious, English-speaking, and increasingly digitally capable populace. The ministry's efforts are focused on transforming this human capital into verified competence and reliable service delivery.

Key challenges in achieving this objective include bridging the gap between training and employer demands, enhancing work-based learning opportunities, and increasing access to internationally recognized certification. To tackle these issues, the ministry is implementing curriculum reforms, strengthening accreditation and quality assurance, and expanding digital and technical training.

The reform agenda calls for a permanent employer-led feedback loop in program design, training, assessment, certification, and recruitment, replacing occasional curriculum reviews.

The government has also introduced a free Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program, which has garnered over a million applications and supports approximately 160,000 trainees across 1,200 centers nationwide. These centers include Federal Technical Colleges and accredited private training institutions. The government is also promoting multiple pathways to employment and entrepreneurship through university education, TVET, apprenticeships, and continuous upskilling.

Alausa stressed the importance of preparing young Nigerians for an economy increasingly driven by artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. The ministry is focusing on skills that complement technology, such as judgment, creativity, domain knowledge, data literacy, cybersecurity, cloud services, software development, customer success, and quality assurance. Partnerships with global learning providers like Coursera and Pluralsight offer 32,000 Nigerians free access to professional digital and technology training.

To further support students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) disciplines, a Student Venture Capital Grant is available to help translate innovative ideas into viable enterprises. Alausa urged international employers, BPO operators, investors, and development partners to move from expressions of interest to practical partnerships, investing in talent pipelines and defining their specific skills requirements.

He also encouraged BPO operators and investors to establish and expand delivery centers beyond Nigeria's major cities, along with supporting training infrastructure, connectivity, quality systems, and management capability.

Development partners are invited to contribute through scalable certification, instructor development, inclusion of women and underserved communities, labor-market intelligence, and outcome measurement. International institutional partnerships and centers of excellence within Nigerian institutions will further enhance global linkages, benchmarking, and knowledge transfer.

Alausa reiterated the ministry's commitment to aligning education reforms with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in human capital development, job creation, skills acquisition, and inclusivity.