Abuja, 20 July 2023 - It has been a year since the Federal Government of Nigeria and the European Union mandated the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the implementation of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP). This programme is committed to providing talented Nigerian graduates with valuable skills and training through 12-month paid placements in host private and public organisations across the 36 States and the FCT. 

The first months of the NJFP implementation were spent on building and putting in motion of an objective, transparent and efficient application, selection and placement mechanism. Once launched, this mechanism had generated over 100,000 applications from across Nigeria, and subsequently a roster of 20,000 pre-selected fellows. On 11 November 2022, the first onboarding of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows took place at a ceremonial event in Abuja. By the time of publishing this release, over 3,000 fellows have been matched to host organisations across the country, on target for the first year of operations. They have joined large corporations, SMEs, startups, innovation and creative industry, financial service sectors among others. 

The process of matching and onboarding fellows is a continuous one and it gradually picks up pace as the programme gains experience. It is however dependent on multiple factors – the most important being availability of credible host organisations, not just with the capacity to host fellows, but also internal systems and operations to provide high quality learning and personal development opportunities. The value proposition of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme is to improve the employability of fresh graduates by providing them with market-ready skills and experience. The stipend offered is therefore an incentive to cushion the learning journey of the fellows, but with the measurable goal of ensuring that after 12 months, fellows are better equipped to navigate a difficult labour market. With this in mind, host screening and verification processes are constantly revisited and tightened to ensure adherence to the NJFP values. 

Working round the clock, the NJFP team addresses the challenges and expedites the matching process. Latest innovations include onboarding a partnerships engagement team, putting in place an aftercare support system, establishment of Regional Focal Persons (RFPs), who will play a crucial role in engaging with potential Host Organisations, conducting verifications of hosts and safeguarding welfare of fellows. We have also revamped the employer attraction strategy with a focus on hosts that have presence in multiple states across the country. We are also in discussion with the Government at Federal and State levels to commence the process of onboarding fellows in public sector enterprises.

Our efforts will continue to meet the expectations of the Fellows who are yet to be on-boarded to help them kick-start their professional journeys as soon as possible. The Federal Government, the EU, UNDP, and our partners remain committed to creating meaningful opportunities for all shortlisted Fellows and to ensure that they receive the necessary hands-on training, skills, coaching, and mentoring to excel and compete in the job market.

Note to Editors:

About Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP): 

The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria, funded by the European Union, and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The programme aims to address the rising rate of unemployment and underemployment in Nigeria by connecting talented Nigerian graduates with local opportunities in host organizations for 12 months, providing them with hands-on training, skills development, coaching, and mentoring.

For media inquiries, please send an email to: 

fellows.support@njfp.ng 

Website: https://www.njfp.ng

Social Media Handles 

Twitter: [@NigeriaJFP]