The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme is looking to expand its roster of participating organisations as it prepares for a second implementation phase.
Launched through a partnership involving the Federal Government, UNDP, and EU support, the programme places young Nigerian graduates in 12-month work experiences with organisations willing to provide mentorship and practical training.
The model is relatively straightforward: organisations register and specify what roles or skills they need, fellows apply and go through screening, and successful matches result in year-long placements. The programme handles most of the administrative work—screening, documentation, ongoing support—while host organisations provide the actual workplace and supervision.
So far, the initiative has placed thousands of fellows across various sectors and states. Some organisations have converted fellows into permanent staff; others have used the programme to access talent they couldn’t otherwise afford or attract through conventional hiring.
For its next phase, programme organisers say they’re refining the matching process and working to ensure placements deliver meaningful value to both sides. The goal is fewer mismatches and more outcomes that benefit fellows’ career development and hosts’ operational needs.
Eligibility to participate is broad. Any registered organisation: business, government agency, or NGO, can apply if it has the capacity to supervise a fellow and can provide proper documentation (CAC registration, TIN, basic organisational details). There’s no participation fee.
The registration process happens online at www.njfp.ng. Organisations fill out a profile, submit required documents, and indicate what kind of support they need.
Once approved, they become part of the pool from which fellows select or are matched to placements.
For smaller organisations, particularly those outside major commercial centres, the programme offers access to graduate-level talent that might not otherwise consider positions with them. For larger institutions, it provides a structured way to test potential hires and contribute to addressing the country’s persistent youth unemployment challenge.
The programme isn’t a silver bullet for Nigeria’s complex employment situation, but it does create a formal pathway where one barely existed before—giving graduates a foot in the door and giving organisations a low-risk way to expand capacity.
Whether that’s enough to justify participation depends on each organisation’s specific needs and capacity, but the model has proven workable enough to merit expansion beyond its initial phase.
