Increased Efforts to Employ Local Workers

The situation

The President of Nigeria has issued an Executive Order aimed at ensuring locals with required skills are given preference in the workplace.

A closer look

Key items from the Executive Order include:

• The Federal Ministry of Interior is prohibited from issuing visas to foreign national workers for positions requiring skills that are readily available in the country; 
• Visas will only be granted to foreign national professionals where the appropriate authority has certified that such expertise is not available in Nigeria; and
• For areas where expertise amongst locals is lacking, the Nigerian Federal Government and its agencies will give preference to the foreign national employees of foreign companies and firms with a demonstrable and verifiable plan for indigenous development, prior to the award of such contracts.

Impact on employers

Employers should be aware that the Nigerian government’s effort to prioritize local workers may affect who can be placed on their payroll. Fragomen will provide more information on the topic as it becomes available.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to africainfo@fragomen.com.