Founded to connect young people in underserved and under-resourced communities globally with economic opportunities through digital skilling, digital jobs and entrepreneurship, Tech4Dev, a non-profit social enterprise has launched Taltrix, a business process outsourcing social enterprise, while setting a goal of becoming Africa’s largest outsourcing company by 2030 and employing 100,000 young Africans over the next seven years.
Driven by the need to empower graduates in digital and creative skills with decent jobs, Taltrix was born to create a lifeline in the face of an impending unemployment hike.
With infrastructure set up across 14 cities in Nigeria with a total capacity to employ 1,000 people, Taltrix aspires to become a pan-African force, aiming for 100 cities across the continent in the coming years.
The BPO project, launched in collaboration with Impact Hub Lagos and Univelcity and hosted by Microsoft Nigeria, had dignitaries from Microsoft, Meta, American Tower Corporation in Nigeria, with the Ondo State Information Technology Agency lending their support.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Taltrix CEO, Joel Ogunsola, said, “Over the next seven years, we want to directly employ 100,000 people, starting from Nigeria and across Africa. We believe that the outsourcing sector has the probability to grow to become a $200 billion sector on the continent.”
According to him, his optimism is fuelled by several factors including Nigeria’s young, large, and vibrant population, coupled with its burgeoning technology and creative ecosystem which offers an ideal incubation environment for the BPO industry to thrive.
“Additionally, the government’s recent commitment to outsourcing as a means of job creation aligns perfectly with Taltrix’s vision.
“There are so many variables that combine to favour outsourcing into Africa currently, we have multinational companies with local presence and experience that are looking for cheaper and effective options to deliver on their day-to-day tasks and deliverables. Also, the new administration has made a bold commitment to enable the employment of a million people through outsourcing which keys into our vision at Taltrix.”
Executive Director, Tech4Dev, Oladiwura Oladepo stated that the launch of Taltrix would help drive economic growth on the continent.
“Taltrix is not just about filing job roles, we are investing in human capital development to reduce unemployment and underemployment, which will, in turn, drive economic growth, and shape a brighter future for Africa. We are also building a bridge to connect underserved unrepresented and underrepresented demographics of young people with globally in-demand opportunities for skilled professionals.”
On her part, CEO of Impact Hub Lagos, Solape Hammond, noted that Taltrix’s ambitions extend beyond mere job creation, noting that the platform has the potential to tackle Nigeria’s internal migration challenges.
General Manager of Microsoft Nigeria & Ghana, Ola Williams, said, “Personally, as a Nigerian, I’m thrilled about this. Leading Microsoft here means we can use initiatives like Taltrix to fulfill our mission of enabling everyone on planet earth. We’re eager to partner with Taltrix and deepen the impact the job creation capabilities will have on Nigeria’s economy and the continent at large.”
