‘Nigeria can create five million jobs from outsourcing in 5 years’

The Nigeria Association of Information Technology
Enabled Outsourcing Companies (NAITEOC) said Nigeria
could create five million direct and indirect jobs from
outsourcing in five years.
Outsourcing is the contracting out of a business process to a
third-party which sometimes involves transferring employees
and assets from one firm to another.
The NAITEOC Chairman, Dr David Onu, made the disclosure
at the second "National Outsourcing Conference'' with the
theme "Empowering the Outsourcing Sector for Service
Delivery and Job Creation on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said outsourcing could create jobs "if the necessary policy
and infrastructure are put in place.''
Onu said outsourcing had presently created jobs for more than
10,000 people as and contributed about one per cent to the
national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
"With the right policy and necessary infrastructure in place,
outsourcing has the potential to create five million direct and
indirect jobs in Nigeria in the next five years,'' he added.
The chairman identified the absence of legal framework, poor
social and IT infrastructure and high tax regime as some of
the challenges facing the development of outsourcing in the
country.
He said that although government was working hard to
develop the sector, more efforts and collaboration from the
private sector was still needed for its development.
Onu stressed the need for government establishments and
corporate organisations to embrace outsourcing.
He noted that a vibrant outsourcing sector would not only help
to create jobs, it would also promote economic development
and accountability in government.
In her remarks, the Minister of Communication Technology,
Mrs Omobola Johnson, said the ministry would continue to
provide the necessary infrastructure and policy for outsourcing
to grow in Nigeria.
Johnson, who was represented by Mr Tope Fashedemi, the
Director of e-governance, said the ministry was providing
necessary support to the National Information Technology
Development Agency (NITDA).
The acting Director-General of NITDA, Dr Sani Daura, said
the vision of the conference was to build a virile outsourcing
sector that would drive service delivery and employment
generation in the country.
He said "the outsourcing strategy is part of a broader ICT
developmental effort that seeks to make Nigeria a regional
hub by 2020.''
Daura said that China, India and the U.S. had been the main
destinations of global Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in
ICTs, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the overall
investment.
"India's share alone amounts to nearly 17.2 billion dollars.
"Nigeria, with its enormous human resources and endowed
skills should be seen at the top of the ladder in providing ICT
solutions and outsourcing opportunities.
"Our aim is to be the market hub of outsourcing in Africa and
to provide over 100,000 jobs annually for our teeming
unemployed youths in the next three years,'' Daura said.
He said that NITDA would collaborate with NAITEOC to
develop a strategic plan for the implementation of the
National Outsourcing Policy.
Daura also gave the assurance that the resolutions reached at
the end of the conference would be implemented.
Via: NAN