Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has decried the alarming rate of talent migration from Nigeria’s telecommunications sector and called for immediate action to prevent further loss of skilled professionals.

The NCC disclosed that over 500 software engineers and more than 2,000 trained telecom professionals fled the country in 2022 alone, posing a significant threat to the industry’s future.

Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman/CEO, NCC, who sated this while speaking at the fifth edition of the Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum, TSSF 5.0, themed “Mitigating the Effects of Talent Exodus and its Impact on the Growth of Nigeria’s Telecommunications Industry,” urged telecom companies to adopt flexible work policies, improve remuneration packages, and foster a culture of innovation.

Maida stressed the importance of creating an environment that values and nurtures talent, saying it is crucial to retaining skilled professionals and ensuring the sector’s continued growth.

Represented by Tunji Jimoh, Lagos zonal controller, NCC, Maida warned that the global demand for tech talent has driven many of Nigeria’s brightest minds to seek more lucrative opportunities abroad.

This trend, if left unchecked, could create a skills gap that threatens the sustainability of the nation’s telecom sector.

Maida, referencing a report by the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), highlighted the exodus of telecom professionals as a major setback, adding that the loss of such talent directly impacts innovation and development in the industry.

To address this challenge, he called on telecom companies to offer more attractive working conditions.

“Remote work options, continuous learning opportunities, and collaborative spaces that encourage creativity will make the local telecom sector more appealing to professionals who might otherwise seek opportunities abroad,” he said.

He further urged telecom companies to partner with educational institutions to create programs tailored to industry needs, stressing that the partnership would help address the talent gap and build a pipeline of young professionals eager to contribute to the telecom sector.

He also underscored NCC’s role in mitigating talent migration through initiatives aimed at promoting indigenous content and improving the infrastructure necessary for digital growth.

“The Commission is actively participating in the 3 Million Technical Talent, 3MTT, a programme initiated by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, which aims to train three million Nigerians in digital and technical skills by 2027,” he said.

By Faith Waithaka, 

With some of Africa’s biggest data centre providers now based in West Africa, it would be safe to say that the region is going that an era of tremendous and even unprecedented growth. 

Faith Waithaka

Traditionally quite modest, with capacities ranging from one to three Megawatts (MW), West Africa now features numerous high-capacity datacentres; with plans underway to build its first Tier-4, 1500 rack data centre later this year.

But with size comes complexity.  Building a Tier-4 data centre is not simply a matter of scaling up from a 1 MW facility; technical requirements and complexities increase exponentially.

Let’s use UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) as an example, while commissioning a single unit is quite straightforward, paralleling multiple systems to achieve higher power outputs introduces significant complexity.

Here, you require an experienced design engineer that can plan for the integration of multiple systems from get-go, ensuring that components like bus bars and cables can handle the combined power load. Without this foresight, designs may fall short and necessitate costly and time-consuming revisions.

It’s double-edged sword, West Africa is going through a wonderful growth era but at the same time facing a lack of skilled individuals that can handle these big data centre projects. And unlike our peers in countries such as Sweden and Ireland, which have extensive experience with 40 MW or even 100 MW data centres, West Africa is still building its capacity.

Also, this skills gap spans from design and technical implementation to the ongoing maintenance of operations facilities, once up and running. There is therefore a critical need to develop a workforce capable of supporting both 1 MW facilities and large-scale 100 MW operations.

OEMs’ part to play

As global entities with extensive experience and expertise, OEMs can transfer knowledge and best practices to the West African data centre market.  And it works, in East Africa, Schneider Electric is proactively leveraging its global expertise to upskill local teams in countries like Kenya to among others bring in specialists from Europe to work alongside local engineers.

This hands-on, on-the-job training leaves a lasting impact, building local capacity and importantly ensuring that the skills remain within the region.

However, OEMs can’t do it alone, and they shouldn’t.  To accelerate the upskilling process, OEMs should form strategic partnerships with local companies, data centre operators, and educational institutions.

In turn, these partnerships can facilitate comprehensive training programmes, internships, and graduate placements, creating a pipeline of skilled professionals ready to meet the demands of the growing market.

There is also another element to consider; the positive impact Africa’s data centre growth will have on the rest of the world.

These facilities are becoming integral to the global digital infrastructure, supporting a wide range of services and applications.

It is therefore in all role players’ best interest to ensure that these data centres are built and operated to the highest standards. This investment will not only support local economies but also enhance the reliability and resilience of the global digital ecosystem.

Through strategic, local partnership, OEMs like Schneider Electric can contribute to an environment that fosters knowledge transfer and relevant, comprehensive training programmes.

Success is always reliant on the sum of its parts and OEMs have an important role to play in establishing West Africa as key player in the global data centre industry.

Faith Waithaka, works at Schneider Electric as Cloud and Service Provider Segment Sales Lead: Anglophone Africa. 

In an effort to bridge the skills gap and curb brain drain in the Nigerian telecom sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has tasked telcos with industry-academia collaboration.

Dr Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman of the commission, who made this call in Lagos as the keynote speaker, also urged telecom companies to adopt flexible work policies, better renumerations and foster a culture of innovation to create an environment that attract and retains talents.

Speaking at the Fifth Edition of the Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF 5.0) organised by Business Remarks themed “Mitigating the Effects of Talent Exodus and its Impact on the Growth of Nigeria’s Telecommunications Industry”, Maida who was represented by the NCC Lagos Zonal Controller, Mr Tunji Jimoh said talent is the lifeblood of innovation and development, and the loss of skilled professionals is a major setback for our industry.

According to him, the global demand for tech talent has driven a good number of Nigeria’s brightest minds to pursue lucrative opportunities abroad, leaving vacuums in the industry skills gap that potentially can threaten the sustainability of the telecoms sector.

Quoting the report from the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Maida noted that over 500 software engineers and more than 2,000 trained telecom professionals left the country in 2022 alone. This trend, if left unchecked, could jeopardize the growth and sustainability of the industry.

Speaking on measures to mitigate brain drain and address talent exodus in the telecom sector, the EVC said, professionals, especially in the tech sector, seek environments where they feel valued, engaged, and given the freedom to explore new ideas. Offering remote work options, continuous learning opportunities, and collaborative spaces where creativity is encouraged will make the local telecom sector more appealing to professionals who might otherwise seek opportunities abroad.

He emphasized the need for telecom companies to continue to invest in the regular upskilling and reskilling initiatives for their existing workforce.

By offering employees opportunities for professional development, companies not only enhance their workforce’s competencies but also provide incentives for talent to stay, knowing they have a pathway to career advancement within their current organization, he said.

Furthermore, Maida called for the need to ensure a steady flow of skilled professionals. He tasked the telecom sector and companies to actively engage and partner with universities, technical schools, and training institutes to create tailored programs designed to equip graduates with industry-relevant skills.

According to him, this strategy will not only help fill the talent gap but also foster a pipeline of young, ambitious professionals eager to build their careers within Nigeria. Internships, apprenticeships, and industry-sponsored research projects can be a practical way for telecom operators to integrate students and recent graduates into the workforce, ensuring they have the competencies required to thrive in the sector.

The EVC Boss tasked telcos on Industry-wide mentorship programs, where seasoned professionals can guide younger talent. Maida noted this would be an effective way to encourage the transfer of skills and knowledge.

Additionally, telecom companies can collaborate on initiatives like tech hubs, start-up incubators, and innovation challenges to not only cultivate local talent but also to provide platforms for professionals to showcase their skills and stay motivated within the industry.

Adopt cutting-edge technologies like 5G, AI, and IoT to create an exciting and innovative environment for professionals. Invest in R&D and support entrepreneurship in the telecommunications space to create an environment where Nigerian professionals can pioneer new technologies, rather than having to seek these opportunities elsewhere. This is, because, the telecoms sector thrives on innovation, and one way to retain talent is by fostering a forward-thinking, technology-driven environment, he stressed.

On part of the commission, the NCC Boss said that the commission has been instrumental in mitigating talent migration through its initiatives to promote indigenous content, improve infrastructure, and create an enabling environment for digital growth. The NCC’s collaboration with stakeholders, MDAs, state governments, and international agencies has been crucial in achieving these goals.

According to him, the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Program, launched by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, aims to train 3 million Nigerians in digital and technical skills by 2027. The NCC is actively participating in this program by supporting participants with training devices.

Additionally, the NCC’s partnership with Nokia to provide a 4G/5G test lab will equip young Nigerians with the skills required for the industry. The NCC is also committed to promoting the development and adoption of indigenous content through the Nigeria Office for Developing Indigenous Content for Telecoms Sector (NODITS), he said.

By pooling resources, the telecom sector can create an ecosystem that nurtures talent at all stages, from entry-level to experienced professionals, and aligns with global standards, the EVC highlighted.

In her welcome address, TSSF 5.0 Convener who also doubles as the Managing Editor of Business Remarks, Bukola Olanrewaju stated that human capital flight, the exodus of skilled professionals from their home countries, has become a global phenomenon with far-reaching implications.

According to her, human capital flight is not merely a statistic; for the telecom industry, it poses significant challenges such as a tangible loss of talent, brain drain, diminished innovation, and intellectual capital. It erodes the very fabric of the industry, leaving behind a void that is difficult to fill. The consequences are farreaching, from weakened competitiveness to a diminished capacity for research and development.

While quoting an analysis from PwC that revealed the talent exodus trend is projected to result in a potential loss of $4.7 billion in productivity and tax revenue for the Nigerian economy by 2027, Olanrewaju noted that amidst the challenges, there lies an opportunity for transformation.

“By addressing the underlying factors that drive the huge depletion in its talent workforce -the severe brain drain, and by fostering a conducive environment for talent development and retention, we can mitigate the effects of this to create a more sustainable, attractive, resilience and prosperous industry.

These facts stress the need to invest in talent development and retention, foster a supportive work environment, and offer competitive compensation and benefits”, Olanrewaju said.