As of 2024, 1.4 million Nigerians live abroad, and 1 in 3 say they hope to migrate—driven largely by the search for better job prospects.
While emigrants contribute over $20 billion in annual remittances, many face barriers abroad, from employment gaps to visa issues. For many of them, returning home often means starting over. However, they possess valuable experiences and skills that can contribute to Nigeria’s economy and communities.
For over 30 Nigerians who returned from Germany between 2023 and 2025, returning was a blessing and an opportunity to regain their freedom, start new businesses and contribute to Nigeria’s economy.
Returned To Revive Age-long Dream
At 66, Pa Asimiyu Ayilara left Nigeria in search of a better income. But in Germany, he became stranded without valid work papers. Through ARRIVES, he returned to Nigeria and he was able to access €2,000 in in-kind support and business coaching.
He then revived his cassava farm and expanded to plant beans, cowpeas, maize. He has employed 10 workers on his farm.
With guidance from ARRIVES, Pa Ayilara is securing 40 hectares of government-issued land on a 99-year lease to scale up production and finally realize his long-term dream.
For Nigerians struggling abroad, Pa Ayilara advised that, ‘Don’t stay there if you are doing nothing. And sometimes, going back home is the best way forward. Home is home.’
Smiling man in patterned yellow attire and cap standing by a stone wall
Pa Asimiyu Ayilara revived his cassava farm and expanded to plant beans, cowpeas, maize.
Returned And Turned Foreign Experience Into Local Opportunity
Noel Nwosu had spent several years abroad. He completed a three-year vocational programme in Germany that combined classroom study with practical work. It earned him the Mittlere Reife, a qualification roughly comparable to Nigeria’s Higher National Diploma.
When he returned to Lagos, he worried his foreign credentials might not count. Through ARRIVES, he was matched with a career coach who helped him reformat his CV, align his qualifications with Nigerian expectations, and prepared for job interviews.
‘My career coach advised me to approach everything with an open and positive mindset. That changed how I saw myself,’ he recalled.
Within weeks, he secured a job as a financial advisor, a job that allowed him to leverage the customer-service skills learned abroad, now applied to Nigeria’s context.
‘In Germany, I advised people on which electronic products suited their needs,’ he said. ‘Now I advise them on insurance plans that best fit their circumstances. It’s the same principle: listen first, then recommend what fits.’
Nigerian returnee in blue checked shirt sitting in an office near a filing cabinet.
Through ARRIVES, Noel Nwosu was matched with a career coach who helped him reformat his CV, align his qualifications with Nigerian expectations, and prepared for job interviews.
Returned To Revive Family Business
After 13 years abroad, Benjamin returned with his wife and children. With guidance from his ARRIVES reintegration team and in-kind support from the European Union Reintegration Program, he opened a building materials shop in Sapele, Delta State. His family also received additional support for rental costs and school tuition.
Unfortunately, thieves broke in and stole nearly half a trailer load of inventory from Benjamin’s shop. Rather than give up, he picked up a family trade he’d learned as a child: upholstery.
With ARRIVES coaching and renewed entrepreneurial guidance, he earns an income by repairing furniture, brokering work to skilled carpenters, or furnishing clients’ apartments.
For the first time in years, Benjamin felt a sense of stability—a reassurance that if he worked diligently, he could grow the shop and bring to life the plan he had nurtured in Germany.
‘It’s not every day that people buy chairs. But when the money comes, it’s big,’ Benjamin said.
Nigeria man stands next to a stack of furniture that he is re-upholstering at a business created with support from ITC Refugees and Trade
Benjamin stands in the workshop for his upholstery business.
Returned To Set Up ‘Pury’s Farm
Dominic considered life in Germany to be structured and predictable. He started to feel empty. No one was learning from him; no one was growing because of him.
‘I could not mentor anyone. I could not employ anyone,’ he said. ‘Nothing I was building felt like it would last.”
He returned to Nigeria and settled in Ekpoma, Edo State. With ARRIVES start-up support and business coaching, he started a pig farm — hired a manager, two logistics staff, even bought a truck for feed transport.
‘Even before I left Germany, ARRIVES was already guiding me. The business coaching helped me understand the Nigerian market, test ideas and plan realistically,’ he shared.
Man carries supplies into a barn on a farm in Nigeria
March 2025, Ekpoma, Nigeria – Dominic also plans to build a small meat processing shed, where customers planning weddings or family functions can buy fresh pork, goat or beef.
‘Home Offers The Best Chance’
Legal restrictions, particularly around documentation and residency, made it nearly impossible for Ade to secure stable work in Germany. When he realised he would soon lose his residence permit to stay in Germany, Ade decided to return to Nigeria.
Upon arrival, he was greeted by an ARRIVES counsellor and received €615 in cash to support his immediate needs. He secured a three-month apprenticeship through the project and later received €2,000 worth of in-kind business start-up support to establish his own plumbing materials business in Osogbo.
As he progressed, he also benefited from one-on-one business coaching to equip him with the skills and knowledge to manage and grow his business.
‘Now I know that success is not guaranteed anywhere, and sometimes, home offers the best chance,’ Ade reflected.
A group of coaches working with Nigerian returnees standing in a circle with their hands joined in the center.
What ARRIVES Does
For Nigerians who have decided to return from Germany, ARRIVES offers structured, holistic reintegration support that spans from pre-return to post-arrival.
Before leaving Germany, the returnees receive psychosocial support and one-on-one coaching to prepare them for the realities in Nigeria. When they arrive in Nigeria, they receive cash assistance at the airport, to help them with their immediate needs.
After settling down in the country, they receive job placement or business start-up assistance, in-kind support up to €2,000 and 15 one-on-one coaching sessions to guide them.
The layered support from pre-return to post-arrival is delivered through the ARRIVES consortium partners.
Since inception, the project has successfully reintegrated 33 returnees from Germany. ARRIVES also developed six economic sector briefs (poultry, solar power, fisheries, delivery services, electronics repair, and furniture) to highlight opportunities, challenges, and support mechanisms for successful entrepreneurial ventures.
In Nigeria, ARRIVES is guided by a Steering Committee, chaired by National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI). It brings together government, civil society and grassroots voices to make sure support reflects Nigeria’s priorities.
The project is implemented by Social Impact, IRARA and ITC.