Experts Call for Proactive Measures for Talent Development

Judith Obaze

Stakeholders who gathered at the Open Forum Day, organised by Tek Experts Nigeria in Lagos recently called for proactive interventions on how to develop citizens’ talents in view of the fourth Industrial revolution that is currently sweeping across globe.

The stakeholders stressed the need for the Nigerian workforce of over 85 million to be turned into huge assets.

Speaking on the theme: ’Preparing for the Future of Work’, the Country Manager, Tek Experts Nigeria, Lars Johannisson, explained that with a workforce of 85 million people, Nigeria is home to an enormous labour market and the talent must be upskaled and honed in order to compete successfully in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He said: “The future of work is upon us and we must take urgent action at all levels, including government, industry and individual, to ensure the Nigerian workforce always has the right skills and the ability to adapt in real time and succeed in the direction that work is going. Work as we know it is currently being disrupted and the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and other technology innovations has changed the way we work and at Tek Experts we recognise that this is the direction the world is taking thus the need for adequate preparations to be made.

“We currently hire over 1,000 young IT talent, which makes us one of the largest and fastest growing IT company in Nigeria. Therefore, we have a massive responsibility as a business to train our staff and we recognise the need to upskill our talent, reinvigorate their work experiences and trainings so they can not only deliver top-notch customer experiences, but also operate optimally in the place of work.”

The forum provided an opportunity for IT support services from across the world, to gather key Information Technology (IT) and Human Resources (HR) professionals to discuss the future of work, examine the challenges that lie ahead in the world of work and identify credible, effective solutions.
The event also analysed Nigeria’s preparedness for the future of work and touched on several areas including what changes are in store for the workplace, the workforce, and the nature of work itself, and discussed if Nigerian workers have the necessary skills prepared to take Nigerian organisations to the next level of work.

Guest speakers at the forum included; CEO, Future Software Resources, Nkemdilim Begho; the Senior Manager, People and Organisation, PwC, Aruosa Osemwegie; Head of Start-Ups, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Tosin Faniro-Dada, and Executive Director, mindthegap.ng/Author of Youthnomics, Tayo Olosunde.

The Senior Manager, People and Organisation, PwC, Aruosa Osemwegie, said: “Discussions such as this are necessary to have in this time and I commend Tek Experts for deeming it fit to facilitate this conversation and positioning itself at the fore front of this discussion to proffer solutions and make recommendations to the business world.

“The fact in Nigeria today, and this is what we’ve discussed at length at this forum, is that we urgently need to upgrade our education and our talent development programs or else we risk sleep walking into a future of work where a whole generation of workers lacks the right skills or the opportunity to adapt to change. This forum is the first step in a long line of things we need to do to prepare ourselves for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Tek Experts provides business and IT support solutions for companies across the world and provides the services of expert workforce that help companies manage their business-critical operations.