Vice President Kassim Shettima has vowed that the expansion of the informal sector and low labor force participation rates caused by Nigeria’s staggering unemployment rate must be reversed.
He said this was the unfavorable social impression that the Human Capital Development (HCD) program planned to avoid under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He made this promise on Saturday at the launch of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Strategy Paper and Gender Transformative Human Capital Development Policy Framework held in Lafia, the state capital.
Speaking at the event, the Vice President stressed that the goal of his administration is to equip Nigerians with globally competitive skills.
He noted that this strategy would enable Nigerian workers to excel in both the domestic and international job markets.
He said: “Nasarawa State’s commitment to the human capital development (HCD) program, which is the lifeblood of our country, is built on the collective recognition that enough is enough.
“Enough is enough of the cycles that have held us back. Enough is enough of the legacy of unplanned high birth rates and alarming maternal and under-five mortality rates. There are enough people.
“We have enough of the damning data about our education system: the average length of schooling, the high student-to-teacher ratio, the alarming number of young people who are not employed, educated or trained; the unemployment rate, the informal sector; expansion, low labor force participation must be reversed.
“This is the dystopia that our human capital development program, under the directives of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is designed to avoid. We have been discussing the ideal nation and the path to achieving it.
Human resource development
Vice President Shettima noted that the quest to reverse the country’s human capital challenges is at the heart of the HCD program, which focuses on workforce development, education and health, highlighting the important efforts the Tinubu administration has undertaken at the national level. He said that this is an initiative.
He asserted that the release of the blueprint for the future of Nasarawa State reaffirms the administration’s shared belief that the nation’s path forward lies in solutions tailored to the unique realities of each state.
The Vice President regretted the tragic reality that the ECOWAS region ranks last in the global human capital development index, but assured that it is not a cause for despair.
“Rather, this is a call for all countries, and indeed sub-national organizations, to rise to the challenge,” he added, adding that “all children, even those in the national workforce, deserve quality education.” “People must be able to receive fair medical care,” he said. They must have the skills needed to thrive in the 21st century economy. ”
employable skills
Explaining that the Nigerian government is not just about ensuring that Nigerian youths acquire employable skills, the Vice President said its ambitions go beyond just local success and ensure that they “improve the skills they acquire. “to be able to export to the world and compete at the highest level in international markets.”
“To achieve this, partnerships with the private sector are essential. Facilitating access to resources, expertise and innovation will make human capital development the cornerstone of a more prosperous and competitive Nigeria.” “We aim to do so,” he added.
The Vice President said the launch of the strategic document and policy framework in Nasarawa State was due to the leadership and vision of Governor Abdullahi Sule, saying it was a positive approach that would bring about change.
He announced that the government at the center had already moved beyond the first stage of the HCD by adapting its strategy to current realities and moving from theory to implementation, adding that Mr. Nasarawa’s leadership at this crucial stage He said the entry was a promising sign of progress.
Earlier, Governor Abdullahi Sule expressed gratitude to stakeholders for supporting the human capital development programme, noting that the Nasarawa State Investment Development Authority was established to help improve the state’s economy. expressed.
He assured that the state’s human capital development strategic document will be rigorously implemented to guide interventions in various sectors, while ensuring that youth in the state are active in agriculture, health and entrepreneurship. He said he would work on it.
NEC and Special Assistant to the President on Climate Change, Ruqaya El-Rufai, said the National Human Capital Development Program was launched in 2018 to address poverty, promote socio-economic growth and improve the country’s overall human capital. It was announced in the year.
She thanked Vice President Shettima for leading the National Economic Council (NEC) and the National Human Capital Development Programme.
pacesetter
Also, Senator Ahmed Wadada, representing Nasarawa West Constituency, said Nasarawa State is leading the way in building a system for human capital development in Nigeria.
He added that the most important living being is man and therefore man must be equipped to successfully carry out his endeavours, adding that education is the basis of human development and therefore it should be given to all citizens. He added that there must be.
Nasarawa Human Capital Development Authority Director-General Hajiya Habiba Suleiman said the Nasarawa State HCD strategic document released during the event contains directions for human capital development in the state.
“Human capital is the most valuable asset a government can provide its people,” she said.
Various empowerment tools were then distributed to women and youth in the state as the Vice President launched the scheme.
Upon arrival, the Vice President headed to the palace of the Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Nasarawa State Traditional Council, Justice Sidi Bazi Muhammad (rtd), where he paid homage to his royal father and inaugurated the construction of a palace museum named after the Emir of Lafia. was commissioned. Borno.
lantana nasir
