The Federal Government plans to accelerate efforts to improve Nigeria’s human capital development ranking, with the country currently ranked 135th globally on the Human Capital Index, the National Coordinator for Human Capital Development (HCD) 2.0 and Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya el-Rufai, has said.

el-Rufai disclosed this in Abuja yesterday during an engagement on the implementation of the Nigeria Human Capital Development Strategy 2.0.

She urged the media to intensify scrutiny of human capital development efforts by tracking implementation, interrogating gaps and keeping health, education, skills and livelihoods at the centre of national discourse.

She said the strategy’s success would ultimately depend on how effectively it translated into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

The strategy seeks to build “a healthy and inclusive Nigeria with an educated workforce, advancing sustainable development”, through interventions targeting health outcomes, learning and skills, labour-force participation and livelihoods.

el-Rufai said the scale of the challenge required the strategy to move beyond policy intentions to concrete and measurable results.

She urged journalists to question government performance, bring evidence into public debate, highlight progress and shortcomings, and tell the human stories behind the statistics.

“You can ask difficult questions. You can bring evidence into the national conversation. You can highlight what is working, identify where progress is falling short, spotlight innovations and achievements across states, and, importantly, tell the human stories behind the numbers,” she said.

She said various initiatives and investments were being implemented across the country, but significant gaps remained and required sustained attention.

The immediate priority, she added, was to accelerate results, strengthen accountability and ensure that evidence increasingly informed government decisions and resource allocation.

Rather than viewing the media simply as a communication channel, el-Rufai described journalists as strategic partners in implementing the HCD agenda.

She called for stronger collaboration between HCD institutions and the media, including improved access to credible data and greater opportunities for journalists to engage directly with institutions and people implementing HCD programmes.

The HCD Strategy 2.0 places particular emphasis on improving opportunities for Nigerians, especially women and young people, to develop their capabilities and participate fully in the economy.

She stressed that the central issue was not simply the existence of a national strategy but whether it could generate sustained action and measurable improvements in people’s lives.