NEW YORK — Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead a Federal Government and private-sector campaign to connect Nigerian workers with international employers during a side event of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
The engagement, organised under the Hire From Nigeria initiative, is expected to bring government officials, governors and technology and private-sector executives before international employers, investors and potential partners.
The forum is themed “Impact Sourcing As A Driver Of Global Trade And Inclusive Job Creation.”
Shettima is scheduled to address the session on “Setting the global trade and impact sourcing context; Nigeria’s positioning as the next outsourcing frontier.”
The Head of Communications, Hire From Nigeria, Oluwatoyin Ashipa, said the event represents the initiative’s first major international push following its national launch in Abuja on August 31, 2026.
She said the programme was established to connect Nigerian talent across white- and blue-collar occupations with global demand and convert international interest into sustained business relationships.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said the government’s priority was to increase Nigeria’s participation in global trade by connecting professionals and service providers with international opportunities.
“Our priority is to translate Nigeria’s talent into greater participation in global trade,” Oduwole said.
“Through Hire from Nigeria, we are working with the private sector to connect Nigerian professionals and service providers with international demand.”
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago are among the officials expected at the meeting.
Other expected participants include Minister of Education Tunji Alausa; Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Bisoye Coker-Odusote; Itana Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Luqman Edu; Mastercard Foundation Nigeria Country Director Rosy Fynn; Tech4Dev Co-Founder and President Joel Ogunsola; and Semicolon Africa Chief Executive Officer Sam Immanuel.
Ogunsola said Nigeria needed to demonstrate the economic value created by its workforce rather than being recognised only for the size of its talent pool.
“Hire From Nigeria is about making that value visible and connecting Nigerian capabilities to the businesses and markets that need them,” he said.
The UNGA engagement builds on a broader outsourcing and services-export initiative championed by Shettima since 2024.
The Vice President launched the Outsource To Nigeria Initiative in Gombe on March 4, 2024, alongside the commissioning of a Business Process Outsourcing centre.
The initiative, known as OTNI, was established as a public-private collaboration anchored by the Vice President’s office to connect international companies with Nigerian talent.
It initially targeted the creation of more than 1,000 jobs in Gombe State, with an ambition to expand job creation nationwide.
Ashipa said Nigeria was building a diverse talent base capable of competing in the global economy.
She said Hire From Nigeria was intended to help shift international perception of the country from the size of its workforce to the commercial value that Nigerian workers can deliver to global businesses.
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