RETHINKING NIGERIA’S TALENT GAP – THISDAYLIVE

 SEGUN H. OLUGBILE argues that the gap could be addressed

Tosin Eniolorunda’s recent remarks on the difficulty of filling over 500 roles in his organisation have reignited an important debate about talent, education, and workforce readiness in Nigeria’s digital economy. His concerns about the country’s skills gap are valid. However, the conclusion that these vacancies persist largely because Nigerian youths are unqualified reflects a narrower diagnosis of a more complex structural issue.

Nigeria’s challenge is not simply a shortage of talent; it is a shortage of deliberate, scalable systems for transforming potential into capability. A closer look at Eniolorunda’s own career trajectory offers a useful perspective. 

Trained as a Mechanical Engineer, he did not emerge from university as a fintech specialist. His transition into the technology sector was enabled by Interswitch, an institution that invested in developing talent at a time when Nigeria’s digital payments ecosystem was still nascent. The company did not wait for a ready-made workforce, it built one.

This model of corporate-led talent incubation has historically underpinned the growth of new industries. It is neither accidental nor optional; it is foundational.

A more recent parallel can be drawn from Nigeria’s data protection ecosystem. Following the introduction of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) in 2019 and the subsequent Data Protection Act, there was an acute shortage of trained professionals in the field. Rather than frame this gap as a failure of the education system alone, Data Protection Compliance Organizations (DPCOs) such Data Analytics Privacy Technology (DAPT) and others in the country adopted a proactive approach—recruiting graduates and equipping them through structured training and internship programmes.

Within a short period, Nigeria developed a growing pool of data privacy professionals with increasing global relevance.

The lesson is clear: in emerging sectors, talent is rarely found fully formed; it is built through intentional investment. Attributing workforce gaps to youth distraction—whether in the form of social media or illicit economic activities—risks oversimplifying the issue. Young people respond to incentives and access. When pathways into legitimate, high-value employment appear limited or require prior experience that few possess, alternative routes inevitably become more attractive. 

This is less a reflection of unwillingness than of constrained opportunity.

For corporate Nigeria, this presents a strategic choice. Organizations can continue to search for scarce, fully developed talent, often at higher cost and with increasing reliance on expatriate labour, or they can invest in structured talent pipelines that align with their long-term needs. 

Programmes such as paid academies, residencies, and apprenticeship models offer a practical mechanism for bridging this gap while simultaneously strengthening institutional capacity.

The implications extend beyond individual firms. 

A growing dependence on expatriate talent carries broader economic consequences, including capital flight through remittances, slower domestic capacity development, and sustained reliance on foreign expertise in critical sectors. For a country seeking to build a resilient and competitive digital economy, such outcomes pose strategic risks.

None of this diminishes the real shortcomings of Nigeria’s education system. Rather, it underscores the need for a complementary response from industry. In environments where formal education cannot fully meet evolving market demands, the private sector must play a more active role in capability development.

Ultimately, the debate is not about whether a talent gap exists—it does. The more important question is how that gap is addressed. In advanced economies, organizations can often rely on deep, mature talent pools. In emerging markets like Nigeria, those pools must be consciously developed. The companies that recognise this early, and invest accordingly, will not only solve their hiring challenges but also shape the future of the industries they operate in.

 Dr. Olugbile is CEO Data Analytics Privacy Technology Ltd