The Federal government on Friday implored governors of the 36 states of the federation to deepen the implementation of Human Capital Development (HCD) programmes in their respective states.

It observed that the path chosen by Nigeria in the 21st century can only be determined by the strength of the nation’s workforce, the education of its children, and the well-being of communities across the country.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who spoke during a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Human Capital Development Programme at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, maintained that Nigeria will achieve greater success if it depends more on the quality of its human capital than its natural resources or industrial might.

“We must go beyond plans and policies. Implementation must be swift, targeted, and unrelenting. The time for incremental change has passed—this is the time for bold, decisive action,” he said.

“State-level implementation must be deepened. Our governors and state representatives must prioritise the five key indicators we have identified for tracking HCD progress.

“Regular and structured meetings of State HCD Councils must become non-negotiable, ensuring that human capital development remains at the heart of governance at all levels.”

Underscoring the importance of human capital to the nation’s development, Shettima pointed out that history will remember that in a defining moment, the administration “chose to prioritise people over politics, to invest in capacity over convenience, and to build a nation that thrives not despite its challenges, but because we confronted them head-on.”

He outlined the significant strides made by the HCD Steering Committee to include its expansion to accommodate key cross-cutting sectors, noting that this has strengthened the governance structure.

The Vice President acknowledged what he described as impactful state-level interventions, outlining them to include “the rollout of Project Fuuku in Nasarawa State, distributing over 1,000 clean cookstoves to vulnerable households, demonstrating the intersection of human capital development and environmental sustainability.

“Additionally, our advocacy and engagement efforts have continued to sensitise state focal persons on the HCD 2.0 strategy, ensuring that our vision is embedded at every level of governance.

“Furthermore, the launch of the HCD Dashboard—a data-driven mechanism for tracking immunisation rates, learning poverty, youth unemployment, and other key indicators—positions us to make informed policy decisions and measure our progress against tangible benchmarks.”

The Vice President called for a nationwide survey to be commissioned to collect real-time data on priority indicators.

He continued: “We believe that data must drive our decisions. We cannot solve what we do not measure. A nationwide survey must be commissioned to collect real-time data on priority indicators—health, education, and workforce readiness. A nation that aspires to greatness must ground its policies in evidence, not assumptions.

“We must mobilise resources beyond government funding. Traditional financing models alone will not suffice. The Private Sector Partnership Group must take a leadership role in unlocking innovative financing, from impact investments to social impact bonds.

“Our development partners, corporate leaders, and philanthropic institutions must see human capital development not as charity but as an investment in the economic prosperity of our nation.”

Earlier, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, commended the Human Capital Development team on the parameters designed for more information and data, stressing that “economic expansion without human capital development is an effort in futility.”

He, however, advised that as “the world is focusing on Africa because of its growing young population, more attention should be given to the educated, skilled and healthy population.”

Also speaking, the Country Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ms. Elsie Attafuah, commended the federal government for promoting human capital development as the bedrock of development.

She highlighted several projects to support human capital development, including the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, noting that Nigeria’s development pathway does not rest on natural resources but on human resources.