The World Bank is partnering with the government of Nigeria to better understand how labor migration and skills partnerships can provide more and better jobs to Nigerian youth. One objective of this collaboration is to assess the feasibility of new bilateral labor agreements in chosen sectors, mirroring the Center for Global Development’s (CGD) Global Skill Partnership model. A joint CGD-World Bank report—“Expanding Legal Migration Pathways from Nigeria to Europe: From Brain Drain to Brain Gain”1—and a related brief 2 present the results of this work. The report outlines both the opportunity inherent within the growing (yet unemployed) youth population in Nigeria and the declining working-age population in Europe that is leading to widespread skill shortages. It then describes the Global Skill Partnership model and applies it to case studies in three sectors: construction; information, communication, and technology (ICT); and this one, on nursing.

By 2030, the world will require an additional 15 million nurses if it is to reach universal health coverage (UHC). These shortages are felt globally, with both Nigeria and the UK suffering from a shortage of skilled personnel. Neither produce nor employ the number of nurses required within their public and private institutions, and both have specific needs. This case study outlines a Global Skill Partnership between Nigeria and the UK within nursing, including an overview of the training and migration landscape in both countries, the specific design of such a partnership, and risks and mitigation measures.