The Presidency has urged state governments to strengthen and institutionalise human capital development plans, stressing that the success of Nigeria’s development agenda depends largely on effective implementation at subnational levels.
Speaking at the Human Capital Development Strategy 2.0 stakeholders’ workshop on Monday in Abuja, the Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Ibrahim Hassan, said states must take greater ownership of programmes aimed at improving education, healthcare, nutrition, skills development and productivity.
Represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, he said the president has empowered the state and local governments to drive the success the programme.
He said, “Nigeria’s federal structure and fiscal federalism mean that many of the most critical human capital interventions in primary healthcare, basic education, nutrition, social services, workforce development, and community resilience are implemented directly at the state and local levels.
“Mr. President has actually tried to empower the state and local governments. This means that the success of the national human capital agenda will ultimately be determined at the subnational level. That is why you, the state focal persons, are so important.
“I, therefore, urge you to continue championing the following within your states. Number one, ensure that robust and implementable human capital development plans are developed and institutionalised. Secondly, continue advocating for HCD priorities to be elevated to the highest levels of state decision-making and reflected meaningfully in annual budgets and medium-term expenditure frameworks.”
Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1tn economy cannot be achieved without sustained investment in people.
Speaking further, he warned that Nigeria’s growing population could either become an advantage or a burden depending on the investments made today.
“We are facing a defining choice: whether our demographic growth becomes a demographic dividend or a demographic burden. The answer lies in the investment we make today,” he said.
He urged state focal persons to drive reforms and ensure human capital development remains a priority in governance and budgeting.
“You are not merely coordinators; you are champions, conveners and catalysts for system transformation,” he said.
He also called for stronger collaboration across sectors, noting that health, education, labour, agriculture, finance, youth development and digital economy agencies must work together to achieve meaningful outcomes.
“The complexity of human capital challenges requires a whole-of-government approach. No sector can succeed in isolation,” he added.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Human Capital Development 2.0 Programme and Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai, said the workshop was focused on improving execution, coordination and accountability across all levels of government.
“Nigeria is good with policy creation and strategy design. It is execution that this workshop is really targeting,” she said.
El-Rufai described Nigerians as the country’s greatest resource, saying the nation’s youthful population presents enormous opportunities if properly harnessed through investment in human capital.
“I honestly think people are our greatest resource,” she said.
She urged participants to use the workshop as a platform for reflection, peer learning and practical problem-solving, adding that recommendations from the engagement would contribute significantly to deliberations at the National Economic Council.
“We use today to identify what is working, where bottlenecks remain and how we can collectively strengthen delivery systems to improve outcomes for Nigerians,” she said.
The Human Capital Development Strategy 2.0 is part of Nigeria’s broader plan to improve education, healthcare, nutrition, skills development and productivity through coordinated efforts between the Federal Government and states.
The initiative is also aimed at supporting the country’s long-term economic growth and demographic development goals.
