Vice-President Kashim Shettima has approved the constitution
of a multi-sectoral committee to drive the goals of the human capital
development (HCD) programme of the federal government.
The HCD programme was launched by the National Economic
Council (NEC) in 2018 with the purpose of addressing poverty, increasing
investments in the Nigerian people and improving the human development indices
of the country.
The VP had a meeting with Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank’s
country director for Nigeria; Aliko Dangote, Nigerian billionaire businessman;
Tony Elumelu, chairman of the United Bank of Africa; and Ali Pate, minister of
health and social welfare, at the presidential villa in Abuja on Monday.
In a statement on Monday, Stanley Nkwocha, senior special
assistant to the president on media, said the multi-sectoral team is made up of
the federal and state governments as well as donors and partners.
The team is expected to convene every two weeks to review
the progress of work in addressing the objectives of the HCD programme.
At the meeting, Shettima noted the need for government and
partners to invest in human capital development to create a workforce that is
not just globally competitive but also 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,” Shettima 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 the development of our human capital.
“We have witnessed the growing shift towards knowledge and
service-based economies and the advantages they offer, particularly to our
youths.”
Acknowledging the significant impact that Dangote and
Elumelu have contributed to the country’s development, Shettima noted that
every society rises and falls depending on the quality of its leadership.
Also speaking, Pate noted the importance of investing in
human resources.
He said going forward, stakeholders involved in the human
capital development programme will reinforce and harness existing data to
ensure accountability and accuracy in the implementation of programmes and
projects under the initiative.
Pate 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.
On his part, Dangote commended Shettima for convening the
meeting, saying it underpins the commitment of the Bola Tinubu administration
to addressing challenges around human capital development.
While pledging his support for the administration’s HCD
programme, Dangote called on stakeholders to work diligently towards tackling
the challenge of inaccurate data, describing it as the biggest problem in the
task of addressing human capital development.
In the same vein, Elumelu pledged his support for the
federal government’s initiative.
“We will support you; our commitment is guaranteed. This is
a laudable idea,” Elumelu said.
Chaudhuri pledged the World Bank’s support for the HCD programme,
especially in the areas of technical assistance and strengthening of databases.
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