FIC Report (Nasarawa State) – Nigeria’s Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, has urged Nigerian citizens to invest hugely on the skills and knowledge development of their people especially the youths to optimize growth in health, education and infrastructure development in the country.
Shettima said partnerships with the private sector are critical in achieving “our aspirations of transformation”.
He stated this while speaking at the launch of Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency Strategy Document and Gender Transformative Policy Framework in Lafia, the Nasarawa State Capital.
The Vice President said the progress envisaged in human capital development is achievable with shared commitment to collaboration and acknowledging high cost of conflict in service delivery.
“These are not mere goals. They are the promises embedded in our Human Capital Development Program. Nasarawa State holds tremendous potential to improve educational outcomes, especially within the north-central region”.
“While, like many states, it faces the challenge of reducing out-of-school rates, particularly at the secondary level, and improving net attendance, there are promising opportunities for progress”.
“We must prioritize enrollment and completion rates through targeted interventions, such as expanding social welfare programs, enhancing school infrastructure, and strengthening teacher recruitment and training”.
He said Nigeria’s population is projected to be over 400 million by 2050 and to become the third most populous nation in the world.
“We are a young nation, and it is projected that by 2050, Nigeria will surpass the United States, who will be the third most populous nation on earth, with a population of 440 million people”.
He tasked leaders to facilitate access to resources, expertise and innovation to make human capital development a cornerstone to a competitive Nigeria.
He praised Nasarawa State Government for exceeding the international benchmark of allocating 15% of its budget to education, noting that education, youth development, health consist major priorities towards translating strategy into tangible outcomes.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, said the documents launched represent the commitment of government to delivering measurable and sustainable results in human capital development through a system that works for the people.
Sule promised to fully implement the policies in the documents to prioritize skill growth and accelerate education, healthcare, infrastructure, gender inclusion by 2030.
He noted that his administration’s economic strategy is designed with flexibility and adaptability to respond to emerging trends and to remedy global challenges.
He commended the contributions of the Federal Government, donor partners and the State Human Capital Development Agency for making the documents a possibility.
In a welcome address, Director-General/Focal Person, Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman said launching the human capital development strategy documents underscored the culmination of policy direction and a new beginning in the realization of an inclusive, equitable and economically enabling society.
Suleiman maintained that Nasarawa State being the sole authority in addressing human capital development through the establishment of its agency in the state, had translated the thematic areas of development into full opportunities by cutting red tapes in addressing gender disparities, knowledge and skills development.
Ari, Liman Aminu.
HOC, FIC, LAFIA.
