NTAC plans structured labour export to curb ‘japa’ trend, boost foreign revenue

The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has unveiled plans to develop a legal framework for the structured export of skilled Nigerian professionals, in what it describes as a strategy to curb the mass emigration of young citizens, popularly called “Japa,” while turning the nation’s human capital into a source of foreign income.

NTAC’s Director-General, Yusuf Yakub, disclosed the plan on Friday in Abuja during a briefing to mark his second year in office.

He said 396 Nigerian volunteers had been deployed to various countries in the last two years under the Corps’ technical aid programme.

“One of the new policies I came in with is to transform NTAC into a hub for exporting Nigerian manpower—not just freely, but for revenue,” Yakub said.

According to him, the initiative offers both an economic opportunity and a social solution to the challenges driving irregular migration.

“By formally exporting labour with dignity, we will discourage Japa, prevent needless deaths in deserts and oceans, create jobs, and generate revenue for the country,” he stated.

Yakub revealed that discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that a draft agreement prepared by the Ministry of Justice will soon formalise the process.

NTAC is also partnering with international organisations, including the International Organisation for Migration, to expand beyond its traditional reach in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

Already, he said, countries like Jamaica have shown interest in Nigerian expertise, agreeing to cover deployment costs—an arrangement that differs from the traditional NTAC funding model.

He added that fresh partnerships had been initiated with Grenada, Equatorial Guinea, South Sudan, and Zanzibar.

The DG cited the Philippines as an example of a country that generates significant foreign exchange through labour export.

“We also have abundant human resources, and countries are already requesting for them,” he noted.

On the Corps’ financial standing, Yakub disclosed that NTAC has cleared all inherited debts, including unpaid allowances and travel costs owed to volunteers.

“Today, we are not owing a dime. All our volunteers have been paid,” he said.

Highlighting the impact of Nigerian professionals abroad, Yakub pointed to volunteers who have risen to leadership positions, including vice chancellorships in The Gambia and a volunteer who chaired Sierra Leone’s COVID-19 task force.

“NTAC has become a vital tool of Nigeria’s soft power diplomacy.

“Our volunteers represent the quality of Nigerians globally and help project the country’s strengths,” he said.

Since its establishment in 1987 by the Ibrahim Babangida administration, NTAC has deployed more than 10,000 experts to over 40 countries, mainly in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

Yakub concluded that sharing Nigeria’s rich human capital is key to Africa’s collective progress: “Until we learn to share our resources amongst ourselves, without always looking to the Western world, we cannot achieve true development.”