EXPORT JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Governor Hope Uzodimma Is Right. Labour export is a pillar of development

EXPORT JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Governor Hope Uzodimma Is Right. Labour export is a pillar of development.

By: Prince Eze Ugochukwu 

As usual, there has been some noise from the un-informed about the statement by the Imo State Governor to export graduates of his digital skills training program abroad.

Unfortunately, most of the commentators are ignorant of the upsides of that intention and plan by Governor Hope Uzodimma.

Skills export is nothing new. The policy of Governor Hope Uzodimma is to train 300,000 Imo youths in digital skills by year 2026. So far, 20,000 of such youths has been trained with another 40,000 about to begin their training.

People can make use of their skills in another country thereby acquiring valuable work experience and then return home in CIRCULAR MIGRATION. For Imo State, this will be a win-win situation. It will benefit the worker making use of it’s mobility, and it will benefit the home state as upon return, the worker has improved skills and valuable experience from work abroad. One aspect of this CIRCULAR MIGRATION pattern is also remittances, where persons working abroad sends money back to his home state when working abroad.

So when Governor Uzodimma talks about strategically sponsoring skilled persons to work abroad, he is invariably talking about another way to boost foreign remittances to Imo State, and also create job opportunities for those willing to work about.

Again some commentators have talked about the number of persons. (4,000 persons). The fact is that many people cannot see the big picture and that is so sad. Be that as it may, there is nothing wrong in having big plans, after all as the saying goes, "who dares wins". therefore, anyone who has the courage to do something receives. Daring to try something new of difficult can be intimidating. It takes courage to push through the uncertainty and difficulties, but daring to try is the only path to triumph.

But let us take a look at the Philippine, India, South Korea and Cuba.

The Philippine is the top one country of labour exporting. About 10% of national population working overseas earn more than $12.8 billion U.S. dollars yearly which support and promote the development of the domestic economy effectively. This shows that labour export is a pillar of development.

India is another country that exports skilled citizens on the lines of manpower -support pacts with other countries. Workers will go to these countries not as permanent immigrants but as employees in sectors where there is high demand of such skills.

Take a look at  South Korea one of the Asian Tigers, by sending workers abroad, the Korea Overseas Development Corporation, brought in foreign exchange remittances and needed advanced technologies, which are key for economic development. This policy laid the foundation for the Korean Government National Economic Development Plan.

Politicians Think of the Next Election. Statesmen like the Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, think of the GENERATION NEXT.

Therefore, Governor Uzodimma linking the Imo State skilled labour market with those of other countries provides an immense opportunity. Governor Hope Uzodimma thinks big whether we like it or not, but thats the truth. Who can visualize the linking of Owerri to Orlu, to Okigwe and to Umuahia with solid roads? Within four years, three new state of the art general hospitals were built and commissioned. A new international conference centre ongoing, The opening up and dredging of the Orashi River into the Atlantic Ocean, which geographical surveys has been completed and approvals secured from the Federal government. Today the poor and vulnerable persons, including workers are getting free medical treatment under the basic healthcare program. This same Uzodimma has secured approval for an oil and gas free trade zone for Imo State. Secured funding from the African Development Bank for a Special Agro-Industrial Processing zone for Imo State. He is currently installing night landing facilities at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport.

Let’s take a look at another country. Canada is one of the most sought-after destinations amongst skilled workers. Here there is a huge demand in different provinces for skilled workers from abroad especially in information technology. This is a market that can be tapped into. Canada has unveiled its first-ever immigration tech talent mechanism that will establish new job opportunities for Nigerian citizens and others. The new job opportunities are announced a few days after Germany passed an immigrant law created to encourage more people from outside the European Union to come to the country for work. While Iaunching a digital Nomads strategy, Canada is going to allow people who have a foreign employer to come and work in Canada for up to six months.

Cuba’s most lucrative export is not tobacco or sugar, but doctors. Leasing healthcare professionals to foreign governments brings in around $11 billion each year making it a bigger source of revenue than the Caribbean island’s tourism industry. There are currently some 50,000 Cuban doctors working across 67 countries, an “army of white coats”, as Cuban officials call them. This is in continuation of a long-standing tradition of Cuban medical internationalism that emphasizes investment in human capital.

Even the Federal Government of Nigeria is planning to tap into the global talent sourcing industry projected to value about $904 billion by 2027. Only recently, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka- Anite, made known at the launch of National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) at Microsoft office in New York. The initiative, Uzoka-Anite said, was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda to diversify the Nigerian economy, create sustainability opportunities, and generate about 50 million jobs for the youths over time. She said, “As part of our strategy towards achieving this, President Bola Tinubu whose agenda for job creation, we have initiated a national talent export program for Nigeria, which targets the creation of one million jobs across Nigeria. “With a target of over five years in line with the theme of this year’s UNGA, which is rebuilding trust and igniting global solidarity, accelerating action on the 2030 agenda and the sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all,” she said. The move is aimed at making Nigeria a talent export hub to create one million jobs in the next five years. NATEP is a special-purpose vehicle leveraging the large population of teeming tech-savvy youth doing well in all facets of life. The event was attended by a large gathering of world leaders and companies across the globe including Amazon, World Economic Forum, Microsoft group, Meta, Google, and a host of others.

Job outsourcing or job exports is a modern economic model adopted by players in the global market. It's a new international business model. The truth is that Capital follows opportunity and that is why. Wonder why talented footballers in Africa are sought after by most developed countries. Saudi Arabia and the United States are the latest countries buying up soccer greats from other nations.

Let us rather support the Governor and contribute in any little ways we can. Vilifications make no sense whatsoever. The world has gone beyond provincial. It's a digital era.