TheCable

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has approved the constitution of a multi-sectoral committee to address human capital development (HCD) in Nigeria.

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 committee was set up at 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 shows 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.