SUSTAIN: Scaling Up STEM Talent from Africa in Europe
A market-led solution to the EU labour gap in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), bridging Nigerian talent and EU employers
Europe faces a deepening shortage of professionals in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), fields that underpin everything from digital infrastructure to the green energy transition. Meanwhile, Nigeria is producing a growing number of highly qualified STEM graduates, including engineers, developers, and scientists with the technical skills European employers need.
SUSTAIN (Scaling Up STEM Talent from Africa In Europe) is Seefar's response to this structural mismatch. The project aims to build structured, rights-based, and replicable legal migration pathways that connect Nigerian STEM graduates with employers in Germany and Ireland, turning an untapped global opportunity into lasting economic benefit for all parties.
Note: Year 1 is now complete and the programme is entering its employer engagement phase. The results presented here are from preliminary reports.
The Challenge
Europe needs STEM talent that Nigeria is producing in growing numbers. Yet the channels between supply and demand are fragmented, weighed down by visa delays, credential recognition gaps, and a lack of trusted employer-side infrastructure.
Our Approach
SUSTAIN brokers placements rather than only preparing candidates: a verified Nigerian STEM talent pipeline, direct employer engagement in Germany and Ireland, a custom recruitment platform, and structured pre-departure training on Seefar Academy.
Project Details
| Timeline | September 2024 – May 2027 |
| Countries | Nigeria, Ireland, Germany |
| Status | Ongoing — Year 1 complete, entering employer engagement phase |
| Pipeline to Date | 4,560+ registrations from Nigerian STEM professionals; 2,142 eligible for migration (114% of target); 38.6% female pipeline |
"Being shortlisted for SUSTAIN is a recognition of the work I have put into building a career in STEM. If I join the team, I will bring everything I have learned in scaling technology, and prove that world-class engineering talent comes from everywhere."
– Motunrayo Koyejo, Senior Backend EngineerA Programme Aligned with EU Strategy
The project coincides with a growing EU focus on labour migration. In January 2026, the European Commission adopted its long-term Migration and Asylum Strategy, explicitly identifying the strengthening of international talent partnerships as a key strategic priority. At the programme's third Steering Committee in March 2026, the European Commission's DG HOME confirmed that SUSTAIN's employer-direct engagement model is aligned with and referenced in the European Commission's long-term Migration and Asylum Strategy as a model for putting legal migration commitments into practice.
Watch: SUSTAIN, one year into the programme
An overview of SUSTAIN, one year into the programme
Programme Innovation: Building the Talent Pipeline
One of SUSTAIN's most distinctive contributions is its approach to candidate identification and management. Rather than recruiting for individual vacancies in isolation, Seefar has built a verified, searchable pipeline of eligible Nigerian STEM candidates. It is a structured talent pool that can respond dynamically as employer opportunities arise. Candidates are screened, assessed, and ranked before any specific role is identified, meaning that when an employer is ready to hire, the programme can respond within days.
A custom-built app was developed to streamline the recruitment process and enhance coordination across all partners involved. The platform enables effective management of the pool of registered candidates and allows Talent Management Agencies (TMAs) in the EU, as well as Seefar team members, to post vacancies, identify matched candidates, and shortlist profiles for submission to employers. The system also enables the Nigerian TMA to conduct background screening, access candidate application documents, and track and update candidate progress in one centralised location.
SUSTAIN has received 4,560+ registrations from Nigerian STEM professionals. Of these, 3,400+ are eligible for the programme, with 2,142 eligible for migration, 114% of the original pipeline target. Candidates represent a broad range of STEM disciplines, from software development and engineering to climate-related technical fields.
SUSTAIN's verified candidate pipeline manages registrations, eligibility screening, and shortlisting in one centralised platform
A Deliberate Gender Equity Strategy
A deliberate gender equity strategy has shaped the pipeline from the outset. After early data showed that women made up only 22% of eligible candidates, below their representation in Nigeria's broader STEM workforce, Seefar partnered with a prominent female STEM influencer to reach underrepresented applicants. Following the campaign, the proportion of eligible female candidates increased to 42.5%. The current pipeline stands at 38.6% women, a figure that compares favourably to the actual percentage of women in the Nigerian STEM workforce, and reflects a deliberate programme success.
Tsax, a Nigerian female STEM influencer, encouraged female candidates to apply to the programme through SUSTAIN's LinkedIn page.
Meeting Employers Where They Are
Building a candidate pool is only half the equation. SUSTAIN's research reveals that the primary barrier to international STEM recruitment is not a shortage of qualified talent, it is employer uncertainty. Across 30 in-depth interviews and a survey of 74 companies in Germany and Ireland, Seefar found that employers broadly view international STEM professionals as technically strong and highly motivated. The friction lies elsewhere: in visa processing timelines, credential recognition, and the perception, often greater than the reality, of hiring risk.
"We identified the right candidate in Nigeria. The visa delays made it impossible to move forward. The talent was there, the system was the barrier."
– SME Representative, Participant at Employer RoundtableA consistent finding emerges: the challenge in skilled migration is not a lack of talent, it is a lack of trust. SUSTAIN's employer engagement strategy is built around trust: using peer testimonials, diaspora networks, and face-to-face events to shift employer perceptions, then systematically removing the practical obstacles that prevent employers from acting on their interest.
SUSTAIN team met with German partners in Nigeria at a skilled migration and partnership mission, March 2026
A roundtable in Berlin, co-sponsored by Seefar, where hiring managers and startup leaders discussed real barriers to recruiting non-EU talent
A First Partnership
A milestone moment in the programme's employer engagement phase is the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a German global travel-tech company with an established commitment to international hiring. The MoU, currently under legal review, covers 4–5 open roles in back-end engineering and technical team leadership, with SUSTAIN providing a minimum of 3–4 shortlisted candidates per role. The company has also agreed to act as a public champion for the programme, supporting employer-to-employer advocacy even before the first movements take place.
Additional employer engagements are active in both countries, including a climate-focused engineering firm, and three further companies in Germany and Ireland at various stages of discussion. Seefar is also building employer relationships through diaspora networks: 97 Nigerian STEM professionals have been mapped in Ireland, with engagements underway with Nigerian diaspora organisations in both Germany and Ireland.
Early Milestones: Research, Partnerships, and a Media Moment
Even at this early stage, SUSTAIN has generated significant research and institutional outputs. Seefar has completed and published two formal research reports: a comprehensive Employer Needs and Perceptions study drawing on 30 interviews and 74 survey responses across Germany and Ireland; and a lessons-learned report examining labour mobility models across five EU Talent Partnership Countries, drawing on 58 stakeholder interviews.
On the institutional side, three Talent Management Agencies (TMAs) are now active. One is in Nigeria and two are in Europe (including TERN, a Germany-based TMA with integrated employer connections in the engineering sector). The project's third Steering Committee, held in March 2026, brought together representatives from the European Commission, ICMPD, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Irish Department of Justice.
Visibility has extended beyond institutional channels. National media coverage was secured across Nigeria's major outlets including Punch, Vanguard, Leadership, THISDAY, and The Nation, reaching an estimated 8–15 million monthly readers. SUSTAIN also launched the SUSTAIN Table Talks podcast, featuring guests from Nigeria's STEM sector to discuss opportunities and challenges in tech and international careers.
Year 1 Key Achievements
4,568 registrations received from Nigerian STEM professionals, with 2,142 eligible for migration, 114% of the original pipeline target
38.6% of the candidate pipeline is female, exceeding the representation of women in Nigeria's STEM workforce, achieved through targeted influencer campaigns
2 major research reports completed and published: an employer perceptions study (30 interviews, 74 survey responses) and a lessons-learned report (58 interviews across 5 Talent Partnership Countries)
MoU with a German global tech employer, marking the programme's first formal batch-hiring partnership, covering 4–5 engineering roles
8–15 million estimated monthly readers reached through national media coverage across Nigeria's leading outlets, with 87,019 digital impressions generated
Cited in EU-level strategy: SUSTAIN's employer-direct engagement model referenced in the European Commission's 2026 Migration and Asylum Strategy
Looking Ahead: From Pipeline to Placement
2026 is SUSTAIN's year of activation. With its candidate pipeline exceeding targets and its employer relationships deepening, the programme is now focused on translating relationships into placements. The first wave of Nigerian STEM candidates is anticipated to move to Europe in autumn 2026, following job offers expected by mid-year. Seefar is finalising a series of self-paced pre-departure onboarding and orientation training modules on its e-learning platform, Seefar Academy.
Success by the project's end means Nigerian engineers, developers, and scientists building careers in Europe through a pathway that is safe, structured, and rights-based, and a model robust enough to replicate across other Talent Partnership Countries.
This post was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union, contracted by ICMPD through the Migration Partnership Facility. The contents are the sole responsibility of Seefar Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or ICMPD.