By Kenneth Oboh

As professionals across the globe observe International Human Resources Day today, a quiet shift is taking place in Nigeria’s growing tech ecosystem; one that speaks directly to this year’s HR Day theme: “HumanifyAI – Leading Change Together.”

The theme, set by the European Association for People Management, focuses on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the workplace and the need to keep people at the
center of innovation.

While the global spotlight remains on large enterprise solutions, some of the most relevant responses to this call are emerging locally. One example is Sqill, a workforce intelligence platform developed by Nigerian engineering leader and entrepreneur Gbolahan Alli.

Sqill is designed to help organisations make better hiring and workforce planning decisions by offering insights on talent gaps, compliance, and skill development even in environments where workforce data is messy, incomplete, or informal.

“We saw that many companies were struggling to connect workforce needs with real intelligence,” Alli said. “The systems they had were either too basic or not built for how African businesses operate. That is where Sqill comes in.”

Before founding the platform, Alli had worked on large scale software projects at Access Bank, First Bank, and Andela, and co-developed Advance Africa, a multi-million naira scholarship initiative which trained over 20,000 young people across Nigeria and other African countries in cloud computing, AI, and software development.

His experiences helped shape Sqill into a practical solution that understands the constraints many businesses face with fragmented HR systems, tight budgets, and informal work structures.

Built under the Tech startup Howvar founded by Omogbolahan, the platform integrates with existing HR software to provide predictive hiring, workforce analytics, regulatory tracking, and AI powered upskilling suggestions.

While it is still early days, the platform is being piloted by a number of companies in digital
services, consulting, and education, and has entered a partnership with global training provider PECB to link workforce gaps with relevant certification pathways.

With the global HR community turning its attention to how artificial intelligence can be used ethically and effectively, tools like Sqill offer a timely example of African-led innovation responding to real workforce challenges.

“This year’s theme talks about leading change together,” Alli added. “That means HR and technology must work hand in hand. One should not replace the other.”

International HR Day, celebrated annually on May 20, is meant to recognise the contributions of HR professionals and the critical role of people strategy in shaping organisations. As the nature of work continues to evolve, platforms like Sqill play an important role in helping Nigerian companies grow with greater clarity and purpose.