Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged human resource (HR) professionals and industry leaders on advancing leadership, as well as the need to embrace technological advancement for organisational growth.
Speaking at this year’s edition of HR Expo Africa, with the theme, ‘HR Renaissance: Innovating for Impact’, he commended the organisers for bringing this core issue to the front burner, emphasising its role in fostering innovation and collaboration across various sectors.
In his keynote address, the governor, represented by the state’s commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, said the current world of work is undergoing another change, a seismic shift propelled by technological advancements, globalisation and evolving expectations of employees.
He emphasised the need for leaders to urgently embrace agility, empathy and visionary thinking to navigate evolving paradigms effectively.
“Gone are the days when leadership was synonymous with authority and control. Today, true leadership is about inspiration, influence and service. It is about fostering an environment where every individual feels valued, supported, and empowered to unleash their full potential.”
He highlighted his commitment to leadership excellence and inclusive development, citing initiatives that prioritise youth development and social inclusion.
He commended HR Expo Africa for continuing to focus on its mission to optimise human resource capacity in Africa by bringing HR professionals together to discuss emerging trends in human capital management, empowering them to improve.
Also, former commissioner for establishment, training and pensions in Lagos State and Founder, Human Investment Group Africa, Ajibola Ponnle, emphasised the indispensable role of HR in organisational success and called for continued support and investment in the sector.
She further mentioned that the importance of the gathering was to highlight the importance of HR in organisations.
According to her, HR professionals are the engines of the nation and in any organisation, “if the engine is faulty, the machine can’t move forward.”
She added that business owners must recognise that their strategies are incomplete without good HR.
“We can have technology, we can have resources but it is still people that will run the technology system and these people are recruited by human resource agents,” she said.
She advised managers to ensure all staff are fully engaged in the organisation’s activities and help them remain emotionally connected.
Industry expert at Valuebridge Consulting, Usen Ekong Udoh, highlighted the evolving role of human resource professionals amidst current changing workforce dynamics. He added that the main aim of the programme was to get professionals to understand that the terrain was changing rapidly.
“Professionals must understand everything around the touchpoints that people experience when they come to work and try to tailor solutions for them,” he said.
Highlights of the event were the award recognition given to some recipients and institutions including the Director, Executive Education Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic, University, Victor Banjo; Director, Group HR, Sahara Group, Ivie Imasogie; Usen Udoh; Lola Esan; Deputy Head Operations, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Funke Amobi and Patricia Aderibigbe, among others.
