Adam Maudar is the Chief Technology Officer, at YNV Group, an organisation bridging the tech talent gap in Nigeria. As Nigeria looks to create jobs, largely from the information and communications technology sector, Maudar said the talent pool in Nigeria is boundless, and the market is ready for technological innovation. He spoke with ADEYEMI ADEPETUN.

What are your thoughts on the advancement of technological solutions in Nigeria and how prepared is the market for global IT trends?
I am astounded by the talent pool in Nigeria, the advanced capabilities, and most importantly, the boundless enthusiasm. It is this enthusiasm that serves as the primary driver of innovation.
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The challenge in the country is not about how to train individuals, rather, it is about unlocking and harnessing the full potential of Nigerians. Achieving this involves creating a strong demand for Nigeria’s resources and skills. It is a combination of efforts where economic attractiveness plays a vital role. Skill sets must be readily available and maintained at the required level.
Our employees exhibit a remarkable willingness to swiftly embrace innovative technologies. However, what we have not done enough is to provide them with opportunities to shine and showcase their talents. We are fully committed to rectifying this by rapidly shifting workloads and demand to Nigeria to fully tap into this immense potential.
We believe that this strategy would yield explosive growth in Nigeria. The demand for talent will surge significantly, and Nigeria has the inherent potential to absorb it rapidly.

One of the challenges of technology in Nigeria is inadequate infrastructure. For talent development that will spur the needed growth, what can you say about this challenge?
Undoubtedly, all businesses operating in Nigeria encounter similar infrastructure challenges, ranging from power supply to network connectivity. Power supply stands out as the most significant issue. In our data centers, we have gone the extra mile to invest and shield ourselves from many of the power-related problems that most companies face within Nigeria’s power grid which enable us to deliver robust service levels in Nigeria despite the well-documented power challenges that typically affect companies. These investments have allowed us to provide consistent and reliable services.

Nigeria is hoping to create jobs, especially from the technology sector. How can research and development help, taking a cue from your perspective?
There is a need to be deeply committed to nurturing exceptional technical teams in Nigeria. As part of this commitment, we are currently in the process of shifting a significant portion of our innovation lab activities to Nigeria. This involves building the necessary capabilities in and for the country. For instance, we are presently conducting extensive research to support outsourced recruitment services. Our goal is to streamline the process of identifying, qualifying, interviewing, selecting, and onboarding many individuals. This initiative also aligns with the government’s objective of upskilling the population. We are resolutely focused on finding technology-driven solutions that can expedite this process.
The target is to empower prospective talent to easily discover relevant job opportunities, self-qualify without the need for immediate interviews, gain a comprehensive understanding of career prospects, interact with the companies offering these roles, and measure the alignment of their goals.
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How can Artificial Intelligence help to advance digital skills in Nigeria?
Education is an integral part of services. Our expertise lies in two primary areas: high-volume training to upskill large populations and bespoke training when specific differentiation is needed. Our extensive training centers cater to both these requirements.
We have a proven track record of collaborating with governments, not only to impart training but also to facilitate job placement, which is a crucial component. Our primary objective in Nigeria is to support the government’s efforts to upskill the population. We believe that Nigeria is poised to become a hotspot for technology talent. The cost structure and time zone favour this outlook, and we observe increasing interest from companies looking to outsource services and skills to Nigeria.
Further, we can customise training services for companies in specific domains. For instance, if a company is focused on cybersecurity, we can tailor training programmes specifically for that area. We also explore ways to accelerate training, collaborating closely with companies to devise efficient strategies while equipping them to compete effectively on a global scale.

Customer data protection and experience is a significant part of ensuring IT security. How can this be ensured, picking from YNV experiences?
When entrusting your business operations to a supplier, it’s crucial to ensure that the supplier maintains the highest standards of security. YNV holds ISO 27001 certification across all our businesses to highlight commitment to security. As a business that provides services, we must ensure that our own security is robust, but we must also extend our security expertise to our customers. This includes offering them the option to outsource their Security Operations Center (SOC) services. We operate a leading global SOC based in Nigeria, which is both exceptional and highly scalable, adhering to best practices. This allows us to provide security services to customers who may not have the capacity or scale to manage such services themselves.

What measures are you looking at to help bridge the tech talent gap in Nigeria?
We have strategically positioned ourselves in an era where digital transformation is the industry’s principal trend. Every company is actively pursuing digital transformation to avoid being left behind. However, businesses tend to focus their digital transformation efforts on specific areas where they can project their unique selling points that set them apart in the market. Conversely, other aspects of their operations, while important, may not contribute to differentiation and tend to be more standardized.
We understand that companies would need help supporting the more standard parts of their business through outsourcing or through low-cost resources. This is an area where we provide valuable assistance, as we possess the capability to digitize these non-core functions.
By leveraging outsourcing strategically, organizations can drive digital transformation, enhance customer experiences, and position themselves as agile and innovative leaders in their respective industries while they become more cost-efficient.
We offer services not only to identify but also upskill and reskill talent, we also provide a funnel of talent to fill current and future technical positions. This ensures that when these resources are deployed to aid in the digital transformation, they are ready to hit the ground running. Furthermore, through our services, we ensure that these skills stay updated.
Similarly, as businesses undergo transformation, it is essential that they maintain a strong focus on security. This is another area where we provide support and the option to outsource various security functions to our leading global Security Operations Center (SOC), also we train the entire organization in security best practices.
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