Working in Nigeria

Working in Nigeria

Employers hiring foreign workers must obtain an Expatriate Quota and a Business Permit from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Only workers coming from other Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) do not need a work permit. Most expats working in Nigeria are in the service of oil and mining companies, or the banking, telecommunications and construction industries.
Apart from jobs in these industries, expats who possess exceptional skills in the IT, journalism/communication and health sciences sectors will have more work opportunities available to them. The NGO sector is also a significant employer, as several agencies and UN projects use Nigeria as their West African operations base.

Pay & Benefits

The minimum wage in Nigeria is 7,500 NGN a month (€40.80). An expatriate engineer will earn around €45,000 a year.

Taxes

Everyone who resides in the country for 183 days in any 12-month period is required to pay personal income tax. The amount of income from sources inside and outside Nigeria is taxable. Salaries, wages, fees, allowances and other gains from employment, including gratuities, compensation, bonuses, premiums and benefits are taxable. The tax rate varies from 5 to 25%. Employers act as agents of the tax authority by deducting taxes from employees' salaries.

Visas

Employers must apply for a temporary work permit visa whenever they want to hire a foreigner. Applications are made directly to the Controller-General of Immigration, located in Abuja or at the nearest Embassy or High Commission.
To start the process, the employer must prove that the assignment falls into one of the following categories: installation work, feasibility studies, repairs of machinery or equipment, auditing of accounts or research work.
A temporary work visa is given for a period not exceeding three months and may be extended if agreed to by the Controller-General of Immigration.

Recruitment process

No two graduate schemes are the same, so recruitment processes can vary.
The example below can show you the basics of what you can expect.
As with most assessment methods for roles, you need to be successful in each phase to move on to the next.
At United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria, like many other firms, the process has been carefully designed to ensure you’re right for them and they’re right for you.
The recruitment process is driven by the desire to find that right person for the job. Here is an insight into a typical process to help you on the way to be that person.

Recruitment in UNDP Nigeria

Recruitment in UNDP Nigeria is guided by corporate recruitment principles.
UNDP Principles

Irrespective of the form of contracting modality to be used the following fundamental employment principles are the basis for the employment/ hiring of all personnel by UNDP:
o Selection of personnel must be through a competitive process based on merit
o Highest standards of competency and integrity must be maintained
o UNDP independence and objectivity must be safeguarded
o Gender and National Staff Career Management policies must be applied.
Contract Types:

As a global organization UNDP requires a mix of contract types to cover all individuals employed either for UNDP or on behalf of other agencies and partners. To fill job openings UNDP uses a wide array of recruitment tools for hiring personnel under several contract types. Types of contracts issued to individuals depend on a number of criteria, such as legal basis, or duration of services. UNDP also hires personnel through international or local recruitment shopping. The standard types of contracts for:

Staff:
1. Fixed-term or permanent (100/200 series)
2. Activities of Limited Duration (ALD or 300 series)

Individual contracting:
1. Service Contracts (SC)
2. Special Service Agreements (SSA)

Main differences between the various contract types:

1. Fixed-term or permanent contracts are concluded for traditional staff members, contracted under 100/200 Series Staff Rules. Salaries are established on local scales based on best prevailing local conditions; the international scale based on the best comparator civil service.
2. Activities of Limited Duration (ALD local/International) for personnel governed by the 300 Series Staff Rules. Duration for ALD contracts is from 6 months to 3 years, exceptionally 4 years. Local salaries are established by reference to local scales, and/or set by reference to international scales.

Individual contracts:
1. Service Contracts are for personnel governed by explicit terms of service, based on independent contracting for services. The personnel contracted under this modality serve on time bound projects. The duration of the contract must be no less than 6 months. Salaries are based on local market conditions for specific jobs (local UN scales serve as a reference point).
2. Special Service Agreements are the legal instrument used for the procurement of services provided by a person engaged by UNDP, in his/her individual capacity, to provide expert services, advisory services, technical skills or knowledge for the performance of a specific task or piece of work. The principal consideration for the fees is the nature of the assignment, the complexity, difficulty and extent of the work to be performed and the degree of expertise required to accomplish it.

Human Resources Hiring Process

• Identify a vacancy

• Confirm Budget availability

• Draft Terms of reference

• Prepare a Job Description

• Classify a the position (if new)

• Advertise internally (two weeks)

• If Position not filled internally, advertise externally

• Shortlist

• Constitute an Interview Panel

• Interview

• Select

• Referral Checks

• Convene an Appointment and Promotion Panel (APP)

• Medical Checks

• Issue Letter of Offer

• Receive acceptance of offer

• Hire in Atlas

• Issue letter of Appointment

• Induction of New Staff

Jobs

The Human Resources (HR) Unit is mandated to focus on strategic issues such as, capacity development, career repositioning and mentoring of staff. The HR unit handles recruitment, selections, placements, staff career development and performance management. Addittionaly, the Unit is responsible for staff learning, training and development. The unit supports other UN agencies (UNIFEM, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNITAR, UNDSS, UNIC, UNIDO, UNODC, UNIDO, UNCTAD, IFAD, UNEP, UNOV and UN HABITAT) in managing their HR issues.

Please apply only for advertised vacant positions and internships as unsolicited applications will not be considered.

If you are interested in working or volunteering for UNDP worldwide, click here.

United Nations Development Programme-Nigeria:

Nigeria Labour Act 1974 –