Nigeria economy improving, will rebound in months – Shettima

Vice-President Kashim Shettima says the nation’s economy has started improving and it will rebounce in the coming months

Shettima gave the assurances on Saturday during the launch of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Strategy Document & Gender Transformative Human Capital Development Policy Framework held in Lafia, the state capital

He vowed that the growing informal sector and low labour force participation occasioned by the staggering unemployment rate in Nigeria must be reversed.

This, he said, is the impression of an unfavourable society the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme was designed to avert under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He emphasised that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s goal was to empower Nigerians with globally competitive skills.

“This strategy, he noted, would enable Nigerian workers to excel both domestically and in the international job market.

“Nasarawa State’s commitment to the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme, a lifeline for our nation, is built on the collective realisation that enough is enough.

“Enough of the cycles that have held us back. Enough of the legacies of unplanned high fertility rates and alarming maternal and under-five mortality rates.

“Enough of our vulnerable populations are facing low life expectancy.

“Enough of the distressing data on our education system—whether it is the mean years of schooling, the high pupil-to-teacher ratios, or the staggering number of youths not in employment, education, or training.

“The unemployment rates, the growing informal sector, and low labour force participation must be reversed.”

Shettima said the unveiling of a blueprint for Nasarawa’s future was a reaffirmation of the administration’s shared belief that the way forward for the nation lies in solutions fashioned to suit the unique realities of each state.

He regretted what he described as the tragic reality of the ECOWAS region being ranked the lowest in the global Human Capital Development Index.

The Vice-President assured however that it should not be something to feel disheartened about.

“Rather, it is an invitation for every country, and indeed subnational entities, to rise to the challenge, ” he said.

He pointed out that “every child must have access to quality education, equitable healthcare, even as the nation’s workforce must be equipped with the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st-century economy.”

The Special Adviser to the President on National Economic Council (NEC) and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai, said the programme was unveiled in 2018.

She added that the programme was aimed at addressing poverty, fostering socio-economic growth, and improving human capital across the country.

She thanked Vice-President Shettima for leading the National Economic Council (NEC) and the National Human Capital Development programme.

Sen. Ahmed Wadada (SDP-Nasarawa West), said Nasarawa State was leading in laying the structure for Human Capital Development in Nigeria.

Wadada, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, noted that most important creatures are humans and, therefore, they must be equipped in order to carry out their endeavours successfully.

Wadada emphasised that education is the cornerstone of human development and as such, it must be given to all citizens.