An opening to hire Africans and Nigerians has surfaced with the Ditola Group Company in Poland. EuroAfrica, a Nigeria-Poland academic corporation, has been saddled with the responsibility of hiring 500 Nigerians for the Polish firm. Olakunle Alayande, the founder of EuroAfrica, when he took Micha Serocyski, the CEO of the Ditola Group of Companies, on a visit to the Director, Economic Trade and Investment, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Akinremi Bolaji, said that he has been collaborating with private higher education institutions in Nigeria and helping Nigerians to Poland for the last 15 years, and he is currently fully functioning in Abuja.
According to Alayande, the company chose him as a partner because he engages Nigeria and links them with the idea of strengthening youth in the country and taking them to Poland to be employed in various areas like factories and warehouses. This initiative has been underway since January, and the company already employs several Nigerians in Poland. He explained that after meeting with the company’s management in Poland and being impressed with what his company could accomplish and the potential of what they could hire in Nigeria, they believed it was reasonable, and they agreed to move in together and observe the due process through all of the Nigerian agencies and formalise the matter with the Government.
After the 500 recruitment, additional 2000 Nigerians will be hired.
He explained that in order to establish a bilateral partnership between Poland and Nigeria, EuroAfrica Services is accepting foreign expatriates to the country. Since they would also be acting as an outsourcing intermediary for Polish corporations operating in Nigeria, it is vital that the company obtain the necessary permits and licences from local authorities such as the Ministry of Labor and the Nigerian Police. He said the company initially planned to bring 500 Nigerians to Poland for work, but the number would eventually rise to 2000.
To demonstrate their commitment to doing business in Nigeria, Ditola Group began by recruiting Nigerians in Poland, according to Ditola Group International Representative Segun Ige. However, the company’s CEO later said that more was needed and that they would have to travel to Nigeria. They are working hard to dispel the myth that recruiting amounts to modern-day slavery or human trafficking since they truly care about the welfare of their employees. Workers at Ditola receive training upon hire and then can work for a set period before returning to school if they so choose.
All foreign recruitment agencies must be licenced by the Government.
In response, Ambassador Bolaji stated that Nigeria has domestic recruitment agencies that must be locally registered and possess the required certifications. He added that in order to work with the country’s foreign recruitment firms, recruiters must provide their forwarding address. The recruitment process will involve the Ministry of Labour for those who will be hired. However, the policy has gained traction after being put on hold for over two years due to a lack of a governing structure; with that structure in place, operations are allowed to proceed as usual.
Currently, it is a bit challenging since there are concerns about things like labour exploitation, organ harvesting, extortion, and extremely difficult situations that people may be put through. For this reason, they will encourage them to keep in mind that they follow the proper procedure. According to him, it is encouraging that the corporation has made such a positive move because it will need them to involve the embassy in Poland, which will take some time.
The hiring is in line with the Ministry of Labour’s objectives.
Lastly, Phoebe Kumi, an assistant director in the Nigerian Ministry of Labour, who was there, said that the Ministry looks forward to partnerships like this one that would help Nigerian residents find employment while also providing labour to other nations. This is one of the strategies to carry out the Ministry of Labour’s responsibility to encourage regular labour migration. Both domestic and foreign private employers are registered with the Ministry. Before one can hire Nigerians, there is a procedure, which is to receive a permit from the Government, she explained.
Related Link
EuroAfrica: Website
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