On the 14th of April 2022, the Director-General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (”NOTAP”), Dr. Dan-Azumi Ibrahim (the “DG”), in a press conference on the public presentation of indigenous software for the implementation of Executive Order 5 (the “Order”) executed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on February 2, 2018 (the Order) stated that the Federal Government has restricted the issuance of visa approvals by the Ministry of Interior (“Ministry”) to certain foreign professionals whose skills are readily available in Nigeria.
The Order directs all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of national security projects and maximise in-country capacity in all contracts and transactions with science, engineering, and technology. By virtue of the Order, the NOTAP is required to establish a database of Nigerian experts in the fields of science, engineering, technology, and similar fields. See more details on the Order here.
The DG stated that pursuant to the Order, foreigners will be precluded from taking contract jobs (and full-time employment) that Nigerians have the competence and capabilities to handle, in a bid to protect and sustain indigenous competencies and build capacities.
We note that the Ministry of Interior has since began implementation of the Order; and applications for expatriate quota positions for skills that can be locally sourced will be declined.
Further to the statement by the DG, we will expect to see more collaboration between the Ministry and the NOTAP in determining applications for expatriate quota applications and granting expatriate quota approvals (and temporary work permits).
Please contact immigration@aluko-oyebode.com for more information
