MIGRATION IN AFRICA: IOM TEAM LEAD HAILS NIDCOM FOR CAPACITY BUILDING

BY ALIMOTU SHADIA

Ms. Daphné Bouteillet-Paquet, the IOM Belgium, Project Lead for The Migration of African Talents through Capacity building and Hiring (MATCH) has commended the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM), for the supportive, positive and corrective feedback to help evaluate the outcome of the Project.

Bouteillet-Paquet, who led a delegation of IOM Belgium staff, stated this during a review meeting to the Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. (Dr) Abike Dabiri-Erewa in Abuja.

She stated that the MATCH project is a 36- month initiative which kicked off on the 31st of January, 2020 and is funded by the European Union (EU) aimed at providing highly skilled talents to private sector companies whose needs for qualified staff cannot be satisfied by the offer available on the EU labour market.

The Project Lead added that this has enabled young graduates from Nigeria and Senegal to work for companies in four EU member states.

She noted that as applicants register on MATCH, companies from Belgium,
Italy, The Netherlands and Luxembourg will be supported with the sourcing and recruiting of African talents from Senegal and Nigeria.

The scheme, according to her,  is aimed at upscaling young migrants’ skills and increasing their employability, while addressing EU labour market shortages and contributing, in the longer term, to the development of Nigeria and Senegal.

Bouteillet-Paquet stressed  that the project has implemented complementary activities such as skills development, capacity building
and knowledge sharing between the participating EU and African countries.

The IOM Belgium Project lead expressed the importance to have proper evaluation and feedback to help in the next project, as the first project will be ending in December, 2022.

Receiving the delegation, (Dr) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NiDCOM), says pre-departure seminars and capacity building trainings should be held for applicants of the MATCH project.

Represented by the Secretary to the Commission, Engr. Dr. Sule Yakubu
Bassi, stated this during the review meeting.

Bassi equally stressed that the recruiting of Nigerian talents should not be a one way street, but must be beneficial to the country of origin and a bilateral labour agreement should be created.

He, however, suggested that a Memorandum of Understanding be drafted for approval of parties concerned.