By Maureen Okon
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has lauded the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NiDCOM) for its supportive, positive and corrective feedback in Diaspora engagement in capacity building.
The Team Lead Ms. Daphné Bouteillet-Paquet, IOM Belgium, Project Lead for the Migration of African Talents through Capacity building and Hiring (MATCH) said this at a review meeting with NiDCOM on Tuesday in Abuja.
Bouteillet-Paquet had led a delegation of IOM Belgium to a review meeting with the Chairman/CEO NiDCOM Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa in Abuja.
The Team Lead commended the commission’s contribution to MATCH’s agenda in helping to evaluate the outcome of the Project.
She stated that the MATCH project was a 36- month initiative which kicked off on Jan. 31, 2020 and is funded by the European Union (EU).
She said the project aimed at providing highly skilled talents to private sector companies whose needs for qualified staff could not be satisfied by the offer available on the EU labour market.
The Project Lead added that this had 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 would be supported with the sourcing and recruiting of African talents from Nigeria and Senegal.
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 had implemented complementary activities such as skills development, capacity building and knowledge sharing between the participating EU and African countries.
She stressed the need to have proper evaluation and feedback to help in the next project, as the first project would be ending in December, 2022.
Receiving the delegation, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa said pre-departure seminars and capacity building trainings should be held for applicants of the MATCH project.
Dabiri-Erewa who was represented by the Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Sule Bassi, stressed that the recruiting of Nigerian talents should not be a one way street.
She added that, it must be beneficial to the country of origin and a bilateral labour agreement should be created.
She, however, suggested that a Memorandum of Understanding be drafted for approval of parties concerned. (NAN)
