Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Nigeria and their partners

Benefits of Attendance

This seminar aims at significantly improving the ability of the participants to meet the challenges of living and working abroad. The objective is to enable them to identify the stumbling blocks that lie ahead and to be able to adapt and integrate in Nigeria.

At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to:

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Nigerian context and culture
• Analyse situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating more effectively
• Reduce and manage the symptoms of culture shock
• Understand Nigerian mindset, work practices, decision-making processes and negotiating styles
• Strike the right balance between personal et professional lives

Training Approach

• A cross-cultural approach of International Mobility
• Country specific trainers
• Personalized and familiy focused action plan
• Access to the Nomad’ Network, an exclusive online tool for Akteos’ clients and experts:  find resources, exchange experiences, knowledge and insights

Programme Outline

Module 1 : Successful personnal integration in Nigeria

1. Cross-cultural awareness : the key to a successful expatriation

• Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
• Culture shock and the integration process
• Identifying and going beyond cultural stereotypes

2. Key aspects of Nigerian culture

• A patchwork quilt of cultures and traditions
• A unique heritage which has stood the test of time
• The impact of British colonisation and the military dictatorship
• A country with extensive resources crippled by years of warfare
• The importance of Nigeria’s sects

3. Nigerian values and behaviour patterns

• A paternalistic society centred around the family
• The importance of castes and religion
• Extraversion and sociability
• The Nigerians’ attachment to appearances, titles and status
• Coolness and spontaneity
• A flexible view of time

4. Practical day-to-day information

• Focus on the host town
• Transport, administration, housing, security, hygiene and healthcare
• Social life, leisure activities
• Schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Nigeria

1. The Nigerian corporate world

• A patrimonial and hierarchical organisational structure
• Concerted decision-making
• The scourge of nepotism and corruption
• The role of national and local authorities

2. Effective communication with the  Nigerians

• Small talk: a vital aspect of Nigerian life
• The importance of tone and gestures
• A frank and direct communication style
• English for business and dialects

3. Working with Nigerian teams

• Effective management: neutrality, moderation and leadership
• Building trust and confidence to guarantee staff loyalty
• An open mind, humanity and justice
• Supervising, giving praise where praise is due, correcting errors

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Nigerians

• Anticipating unforeseen events
• Giving relationships that personal touch
• Patience and perseverance
• Written contracts, their interpretation and implications

5. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience and humility
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
• Humour: a double-edged sword