CIPM lists paths to manage unemployment challenge

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) has linked the ability of Nigeria to harness the ingenuity of her people as the path to exiting the present economic recession.

At the end of is 48th national conference in Abuja, the Institute identified the human element as strategically critical to the stability of every economy and described the effective development and deployment of human capital as a proven source of enduring competitive advantage for businesses and nations alike.

Buttressing this, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, who delivered the keynote address at the conference, stressed how countries fared better when faced with the kind adversaries that Nigeria’s economy faces.

“We need to tap into the innovation of our people. Look at Rwanda ad what it has recorded in the ICT sector after the genocide. The most important resource a country has are its people. It takes one dedicated generation to rebuild a nation. The question is, why not this generation? This opportunity is too great for us to miss. There is no better time but now for organizations like the CIPM to make its impact,” he noted.

The Minister called for greater partnership between government and the private sector for the development of the full potentials of the Nigerian people.
His words: “This is the time for partnership between us. How do we motivate our people to attain their full potentials? That is the question. This is what our government is pursuing. We are also creating the right environment for businesses to strive. We need to make a difference. How can we re focus our people and create the right environment. This is the task that I put before CIPM.”

President and Chairman of Council at CIPM, Anthony Arabome, noted that with 25 per cent of the Nigerian labour force either unemployed or underemployed, a strategic approach to job creation was urgently required.

He stressed how the Institute through the conference was working hard to identify causal factors and proffer actionable solutions to sustainably manage the unemployment challenge.

“The myriads of challenges of 2016 have almost driven our nation’s economy to the brink of total collapse. This has given CIPM through this conference the unprecedented opportunity to respond brilliantly with people, potentials and possibilities as an enduring model to help every organization overcome its obstacles and to move forward with confidence.

“In spite of the challenging times for businesses, it is unfortunate that they continue to squander and in other cases, tap sub-capital available to them, further strengthening a seemingly uncontrollable downward spiral.

“It must be said that it is not for lack of effort aimed at a turnaround. The reality is that organizations waste a lot of opportunities by focusing on the wrong things or misplacing their priorities. As the business and economic climate continues to change as a faster pace than previously witnessed, every resource must be optimized. The human element is strategically critical to the stability of every economy and the effective development and deployment of human capital is a proven source of enduring competitive advantage for businesses and nations alike.”

He went on: “A weak education sector, endemic corruption, and limited workforce engagement, poor conditions of service, lack of commitment, deplorable infrastructure and fiscal indiscipline are some of the major issues consistently identified as clogs in the wheel of the nation’s development. Despite Nigeria’s huge population, the challenge of ineffective human capital development and deployment have been an ongoing concern and only the human resource function is uniquely positioned to ensure this critical need is met in concert with other stakeholders, in order to achieve sustainable growth.”