In 2022, Nigerian payments giant Flutterwave hired former Goldman Sachs Managing Director Gurbhej Dhillon as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Two years later, the tech community in Nigeria has observed a developing pattern: a growing preference for Indian senior tech talent by the payments behemoth. While this is not necessarily worrisome, there is a palpable fear, as one internet user puts it, that “a sort of growth ceiling to good talent” is gradually forming over the West African country.
“There is a ton of mid-level talent in Nigeria,” says Jason Marshall, chief operating officer at Yellow Card Financial, a pan-African fintech company operating across 20 countries. “They are smart and hardworking. Senior talent is harder to find in Nigeria because, in the first place, people are so entrepreneurial they start their own thing. Secondly, there’s the phenomenon of japa (emigration).”
But Nigerians do not seem to be buying it from either end.
Jesse Dirisu, a Lagos-based mobile engineering consultant, believes some Nigerian companies are not being sincere. He gave an instance of his frustration upon discovering that colleagues in similar roles at international subsidiaries were earning substantially more. “I felt so betrayed when I learned South American staffers at the UK subsidiary of a major Nigerian bank I worked at were earning 10 times what I was earning back in 2020 for the same job. Let’s not forget the small issue of unattractive pay. If you’re in Nigeria and a Nigerian, Nigerian HR will insist on paying you as little as possible. Where’s the incentive for seniors to take Nigerian jobs?” He says.
“I’m assuming most technical talents have boycotted Nigerian companies,” Nifemi Alpine, a senior software engineer and devOps engineer, adds. Alpine is supported by another Nigerian senior software developer, Seun Ore, who heaps the blame on the top management teams of Nigerian tech companies for the ostensible boycott. “I moved from FCMB, about NGN500,000 (∼USD300) a month, to Andela, USD6,000 in 2021. My life changed dramatically. I learned about product design/architecture at FCMB and great execution and planning at Andela for 2 years,” he notes.
Other persons, however, single out Nigerian software developers as the biggest contributors to the crisis. “After you finish training them, they will japa. The end,” says Seun Osewa, the founder of Nairaland, a popular Nigerian online forum, alluding to the popular “japa” phenomenon in Nigeria that involves the mass emigration of highly skilled Nigerians.
It appears, however, that the tech companies are on top of their game. Just last year, Flutterwave announced a new program for its engineering department. Dubbed the “Engineering Mobility Program,” the strategy, implemented in partnership with Capgemini, a French multinational information technology services and consulting company headquartered in Paris, France, and with offices in Bangalore, India, involves relocating engineers from Flutterwave’s African offices to Capgemini’s offices in Bangalore.
Although CTO Gurbhej Dhillon claims the program aims to foster diversity, inclusivity, and the exchange of ideas to fuel continuous innovation, the program’s deeper intention seems to have unraveled with time, with recent hiring of India-based senior software developers. “It’s not just about diversity and inclusivity but also about bringing engineers from India, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Kenya together to build world-class solutions,” Dhillon asserts.
Long term, Flutterwave hopes the program will enhance its product delivery across emerging markets and assist the company in cultivating a robust and highly skilled talent pipeline.
Flutterwave is not alone in this strategic pivot. Moniepoint, another prominent Nigerian fintech, recently hired Pavan Venkatesan, a former engineering manager at the Bengaluru-based fintech MoneyTap, as its VP of Engineering. Investigations reveal that many of Moniepoint’s senior software engineers are now sourced from India, underscoring a broader trend among Nigerian tech giants.
The implications of this shift could be far-reaching. On one hand, it could accelerate the growth of tech companies in Nigeria by bringing in experienced leadership from overseas, including the heavily globally outsourced Indian tech talent. On the other hand, it raises concerns about the long-term development of local talent and the potential for a brain drain within the industry.
As Nigeria strives to become a global tech powerhouse, addressing the challenges of talent development and retention is crucial. Striking a balance between attracting foreign expertise and nurturing homegrown talent will be essential for the country’s tech ecosystem to continue to thrive.