Nigeria’s ambition for sustained economic growth is colliding with an uncomfortable reality: critical skills are in short supply.
From advanced engineering to digital technology and industrial manufacturing, the gap between what the economy needs and what the labour market can supply continues to widen.
In this context, restrictive expatriate policies risk slowing growth rather than protecting jobs, raising urgent questions about whether Nigeria’s current approach to foreign talent aligns with its development goals.
With local talent pipelines unable to keep pace, employers turn to foreign expatriates, as over 150,000 non-Nigerians occupy critical professional roles.
According to a report by GetBundi in 2023, an online education technology outfit, about 85 percent of Nigerian graduates have no digital skills.
Osita Oparaugo, the CEO at GetBundi emphasised that the outcome of the survey shows that more than 100 million young people are not prepared to take up good job opportunities that require such modern skills.
“There is an overwhelming digital skills gap that has been linked to the high unemployment rate in Nigeria.
“The lack of digital skills has been named as a major reason why many graduates produced yearly from the country’s tertiary institutions are unable to secure employment in the labour market,” he noted.
Not less than 3,243 foreign employees were employed in Standard Bank Group in 2024. The Dangote refinery at the peak of construction in the refinery complex in 2023 employed 6,400 Indians and 3,250 Chinese skilled-workers.
As the global labour trend evolves, driven by technological disruption, demographic shifts, and the green transition, experts advocate that Nigeria must urgently invest in human capital and tweak its expatriate policy for more experts to come in to remain competitive.
Uchenna Uzo, a faculty director at Lagos Business School (LBS), said the skills gap menace is rooted in the fact that Nigeria’s tertiary education system in the technical area does not expose the students enough into industrial practice before they graduate.
“People learn the theory of engineering, and technical work, but when it comes to the real practice of it, there’s a huge gap; and this is in a context where the students are required to do industrial internships, before they graduate.
“The problem is that the way the curriculum is structured and those internships are managed make it difficult,” he said.
Nubi Achebo, director of academic planning at Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM), highlights a significant gap between Nigeria’s education system and industry needs.
“Many Nigerian graduates lack practical skills, making them unemployable despite having certificates.
“Nigerian workers may lack hands-on experience or specific skills required by industries such as oil refining,” he noted.
Tayelolu Owadokun, recruitment manager at WAVE, said skills gap has widened, with 65 percent of Nigerian employers citing it as a barrier.
“I’ve seen many youth without core skills for available jobs, as unemployment persists.
“Youth often bypass skills acquisition, seeking high-paying jobs they’re unqualified for, and employers prioritise top talent, sometimes opting for expatriates,” Owadokun said.
Owadokun reiterated that employers are unwilling to compromise on skills, work-ready professionals; and this poses a challenge as they search for youth with the right skill set.
“There’s a mismatch between what employers seek and the skill set youth possess. Companies’ reliance on foreign workers reflects this harsh reality.
“There is a great need for Nigerian youth to upskill to meet market demands,” Owadokun stressed.
Recent data show that 65 percent of Nigerian employers cite skill shortages as a major barrier to transformation, especially in areas such as digital technologies, data analytics, and cybersecurity.
While developing local talent remains essential, strategic engagement with foreign expatriates, guided by a more friendly and pragmatic policy framework, can play a vital role in addressing the skills crisis and strengthening Nigeria’s human capital.
Experts believe that Nigeria needs a more accessible policy that allows these experts to work in Nigeria, where genuinely needed, can prevent project delays, improve productivity, and attract further investment.
Obviously, Nigeria’s growth ambitions cannot outpace the quality of its human capital. As long as critical skills remain scarce, rigid and protectionist expatriate policies will continue to limit productivity, slow innovation, and weaken competitiveness.
Rethinking the country’s expatriate framework is therefore not about displacing local workers, but about strategically complementing them. A more flexible, transparent, and skills-driven policy, one that prioritises knowledge transfer, capacity building, and accountability, can help close urgent gaps while strengthening Nigeria’s domestic talent base.
In a global economy where capital follows competence, sustainable growth will depend less on where talent comes from and more on how effectively it is deployed.
