2019-2020 // Nigeria
New initiative brings together talented Nigerian techpreneurs and the booming Lithuanian ICT sector to advance cooperation between the two countries. Nigeria, one of Africa’s leading ICT players , and Lithuania, already established as a bustling ICT hub with strong infrastructure, are working to strengthen their unexpected but promising partnership that aims to provide career advancement opportunities for tech-savvy Nigerians, and open up new markets for Lithuanian ICT companies, with long term socio-economic advancement in mind.
The career advancement programme model has been developed by AfriKo in cooperation and consultations with Nigeria based early stage investment fund Ventures Platform, mobility policy experts from Diversity Development Group, agency “Enterprise Lithuania”, IT training providers “Code Academy” and Lithuanian ICT sector association “Infobalt”.
Selected through a competitive recruitment program young Nigerian ICT specialists (up to 50) will be employed in Lithuanian ICT companies for 1 year. Besides work placement in innovative companies in Lithuania the Nigerian IT specialists will also get professional counselling and tailor-made training, as well as exposure to the local ICT ecosystem. Various re-integration means will be provided after the program to ensure successful employment or start-up development opportunities once the digital explorers are back in Nigeria.
The principle of brain circulation is at the heart of the project which serves as an example of new innovative approaches to aid efforts with the overall goal to shape rather than deter migration. It will contribute to increasing professional skills and capacities of selected Nigerians and will incite them to further contribute to a positive change in their country’s social, cultural and political dimensions, thus exploring their potential and promoting positive migration-development nexus.
The career advancement programme program, funded by the European Union and contracted by ICMPD through the Mobility Partnership Facility, has been launched in January 2019. It is our aspiration to establish a creative space for talent growth, new partnerships and innovative digital solution development, that should contribute to accelerating growth both in Nigeria and Lithuania.
The concept of the career advancement programme program has been developed with the support of Lithuania’s Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme.
For more information about the project and to become involved please get in touch info@afriko.lt.
