Ongoing reforms will soon secure Nigeria’s future: Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured that the ongoing reforms by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration will soon guarantee a future for the country.

Mr Shettima gave the assurance in Gombe State at the launch of the “Outsource to Nigeria Initiative,” a drive to redirect the talents and skills that abound in the country

The initiative is significant to capturing a portion of the global Business Processing Outsourcing Market valued at 8.79 trillion dollars.

Mr Shettima described President Bola Tinubu as “a visionary leader, refined economic strategist who has a firm grip on the distinction between the current situation in Nigeria and the route within the global landscape.”

He assured that all Nigerians would be grateful to Tinubu for the resilience and foresight displayed in navigating the nation towards economic prosperity.

The vice president appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the administration in respect of the economic decisions taken so far.

He explained that the decisions might have presented some temporary challenges, but they were strategic at strengthening the fabric of the nation’s economy.

“The tough decisions we have taken may pose short-term challenges, but rest assured, they are strategic investments to fortify the foundations of our economy. As your guarantee, I affirm that the reforms in progress will not only weather the storms but usher in a future where we shall stand grateful for the resilience and foresight displayed in propelling our nation towards economic prosperity,” he said

Mr Shettima expressed the confidence that OTNI would turn around the economic fortunes of the country.

He said the initiative would produce millions of job opportunities and spur Nigeria’s BPO and Information Technology-enabled services sector into growth that had never been witnessed before.

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The vice president also said that the initiative would link global firms with the abundant talents and skills in Nigeria.

He said that spotlight was now beaming on Nigeria, following the nation’s “abundance of talent, a competitive cost structure, a rapidly improving ICT infrastructure, and a strategically advantageous location.”

He stated, “Outsourcing is also a strategy to counteract brain drain and channel our talents and skills into reconstructing a Nigeria that works. The Outsource to Nigeria Initiative symbolises a pivotal alliance, a collaborative dance between the public and private sectors.This is a mission to produce millions of job opportunities and propel Nigeria’s Business Process Outsourcing and IT-enabled services sector into unprecedented growth.’’

Earlier, Gombe State governor, Inuwa Yahaya, noted that the decision to launch the initiative in the state was not a mere coincidence.

He pointed out that it was a testament to the state’s burgeoning potential and the exemplary strides it had made in fostering an enabling environment for technology innovation and economic growth.

For her part, the Founder/CEO of OTNI, Amal Hassan, pegged the value of the Global BPO & ITES Market at USD 8.79 trillion in 2024.

According to her, India and the Philippines have at least 60 per cent of the market.

She stated, “Nigeria has the highest potential among key African countries and is expected to register the fastest growth in the African BPO industry backed by various tailwinds.’’

She explained that the initiative would be accomplished through streamlined processes, using the initiative’s digital platform WorkNation to help partners find, train, and deploy talents according to their requirements.

“Our goal is to showcase Nigeria as the preferred outsourcing destination, connecting Nigerian youths to global job opportunities and attracting investments,” she said.