Tek Experts, Microsoft Collaborate to Boost ICT Skills, Job Creation

Emma Okonji

The Technology landscape in Nigeria is set to witness a major shift as Tek Experts and Microsoft join forces to establish a Customer Service and Support (CSS)centre in Lagos. Tek Experts makes its debut in Nigeria, having successfully established similar centres in other global locations.

The collaboration, which has led to the employment of 300 Nigerian youths, will also enhance the training of technology startups in the country.

Tek Experts is committed to supporting talented individuals around the world and providing them with long and rewarding careers with partners such as Microsoft Nigeria.

Tek Experts, which made its debut in Nigeria this week, with an office space and training centre in Lagos, will be offering high class technical services to all Microsoft customers in Nigeria, in form of outsourcing.

Speaking on the collaboration, the Founder of Tek Experts, Yaniv Natan, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Microsoft in developing talent that will improve the technology landscape in Nigeria and leverage the skills and expertise of Nigerians to provide great levels of service to customers as we have done in other locations around the world. We are committed to investing in the region and the people, and to raising the profile of Nigeria as an exceptional location for technical talent.

“This is the first phase in what we want to be a long and fruitful future in Nigeria. We are investing in state of the art offices, in providing best-in-class training programmes and in developing the infrastructure that will provide exceptional services to our clients and exceptional careers for our employees.”

Corporate Vice President, Customer Service and Support, Microsoft, Aileen Allkins, said: “We are committed to investing in the talented workforce Nigeria has to offer through our partnership with Tek Experts and I expect that this relationship will continue to grow and provide additional career opportunities for the local market. By expanding our global support model to Nigeria through Tek Experts, we are able to enhance the support we offer Microsoft’s customers across multiple time zones in EMEA and the east coast of the US.”

Also speaking on the collaboration, the Country General Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Akin Banuso stated: “We are excited that Nigeria will be the first country in Africa to host a global operation for Microsoft through our strategic partnership with Tek Experts. This is a unique opportunity for Nigeria’s youth to realise their potential and pursue a world class technical career locally. This is in line with our mission of empowering every individual and organisation on the planet to achieve more”.

With an unemployment rate in double digits in Nigeria, the centre comes at a good time, as it will not only impact positively on technical skills development in Nigeria, it will also prove to be the first of many opportunities to bring technical jobs, with career growth, to the continent of Africa.

Tek Experts plans to employ hundreds of young people in its operation in Nigeria, who will become ambassadors for bespoke IT services, offering technology solutions to individual and organisational challenges.