Nigerian govt enlists Dangote, Elumelu, in bid to drive human capital development agenda

The Federal Government has enlisted the Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote as well as the Chairman of UBA Group, Tony Elumelu, as part of a multi-sectoral committee in a bid to drive the goals of government’s Human Capital Development (HCD) programme.

Others who were also enlisted in the committee which was inaugurated by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday, following a meeting with World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, among others.

According to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the team also comprises of the federal and state governments as well as donor agencies and partners, and is expected to convene bi-weekly to review the progress of work in addressing the objectives of the HCD programme.

The HCD programme, according to Shettima, will focus on three thematic areas which are Health and Nutrition, Labour Force Participation and Education, and six essential human capital development areas, including under-five mortality rate, malnutrition, adult mortality, expected years of school, quality of learning and labour force participation rate.

At the inauguration of the team, Shettima emphasized the need for government and partners to invest in human capital development to create a workforce that is globally competitive and adaptable to the modern demands of the 21st century.

“This gathering marks our collective recommitment to redirecting the promise and potential of our human capital towards safeguarding the economy,” the VP said.

“It’s an honour to host you, and I eagerly anticipate celebrating the success of the initiatives uniting us.

“Our presence today signifies a tacit understanding that our future is intricately linked to our human capital development.

“We have witnessed the growing shift towards knowledge and service-based economies and the advantages they offer, particularly to our youths,” he added.

In his remarks, Pate said the current efforts the federal government has made putting the people at the centre of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, while underscoring the importance of investing in human resources.

He noted that with the programme in place, stakeholders involved in the Human Capital Development programme of the Tinubu administration will reinforce and harness existing data to ensure accountability and accuracy in implementing programmes and projects under the initiative.

The Minister expressed optimism that the renewed efforts at fast-tracking human capital development across different levels and tiers of government would attract interest from all stakeholders, including international partners and donor organisations.

Dangote who pledged his commitment to the HCD programme, commended the foresight of the Vice President in convening the meeting, noting that it underpins the commitment of the Tinubu administration to addressing challenges around human capital development, and also called on stakeholders to work diligently towards tackling the challenge of inaccurate data, describing it as the biggest problem in addressing human capital development.

On his part, Elumelu pledged his support for the federal government’s initiatives towards Nigeria’s Human Capital Development.

“We will support you; our commitment is guaranteed. This is a laudable idea,” Elumelu stated.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now