From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Kaduna State Acting Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe has said that, the state government has identified human capital development, as pivotal to lifting the citizens out of poverty and unemployment.
She however said that, the Governor Nasir El-Rufai led government believes that, investing in the people of the state by building their capabilities through education, good health and nutrition, skills and economic empowerment, ,”we will be lifting them out of unemployment and poverty”.
The Acting Governor stated this at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Wednesday, while addressing participants at a workshop organized for the Kaduna State Human Capital Development Technical Working Group.
Dr. Balarabe who noted that, government alone cannot achieve the desired feat of eradicating poverty, however charged the Technical Working Group to develop strategies that will ensure extensive participation of non-government actors in the project.
She said, “Because of the place of human capital development in national advancement, the All Progressives Congress at the national government launched the human capital development program in March 2018 to fast-track Nigeria’s progress.
“The national Human Capital Development Core Working Group (CWG) was established with a mandate to develop a National Human Capital Development Strategy, engage states to ensure prioritization of Human Capital Development, ascertain quick wins at the federal and state Levels, and institute a robust countrywide monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress.
“In Kaduna state, we have since taken human capital development very seriously. The state executive council created the HCD policy council with 5 strategic areas which I expect this workshop to discuss. We hope that by focusing on these areas, we should be able to lift our human capital development index.
“For us, addressing issues of human capital is simply investing on our people. By building our peoples capabilities through education, good health and nutrition, skills and economic empowerment, we will be lifting them out of unemployment and poverty.
“One of the challenges for this working group is on how to mobilize all persons and especially critical stakeholders to key into the objectives of our human capital development program so that all hands can be on deck.
“Government alone cannot take us to where we need to be. You will therefore need to develop strategies that will ensure more extensive participation of non-government actors in the program.
“On this note, I wish to commend the effort and vision of the Kaduna State Human Capital Development Technical Working Group for organizing this workshop and other activities they have been carrying out in the state. We aware that without the support of our development partners, the progress being made in this area would not have been much.
“Our amiable state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai sends his profound appreciation and that of the government and people of Kaduna state,” the Acting Governor said.
The workshop which had in attendance members of Human Capital Development Technical Working Group, some heads of MDAs, Local Government Chairmen and Development Partners, was designed to increase the understanding of members of the state working group on their duties and working relations with thematic MDAs.