Details Of Shettima’s Meeting With Dangote, Elumelu, Others Emerge

The details of the meeting between Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and some notable Nigerians held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja have emerged.

In a statement on Monday by the spokesman of the vice president, Stanley Nkwocha, the purpose of the meeting was to address the country’s Human Capital Development (HCD) problem.

Nwokcoha said to address the problem in the nation, a multi-sectoral committee was set up and made up of the Federal and State governments as well as donors and partners.

He said the HCD programme was launched by the National Economic Council (NEC) in 2018 to address poverty, increasing investments in the Nigerian people and improving the human development indices of the country.

The committee was set up at a meeting with World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri; Nigerian billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote; Chairman of the United Bank of Africa, Tony Elumelu, and the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate.

Nwokocha stated that the team is expected to convene every two weeks to review the progress of work in addressing the objectives of the HCD programme.

Shettima Speaks

At the meeting, Shettima stressed the need for government and partners to invest in human capital development to create a globally competitive workforce, adaptable to the modern demands of the 21st century.

Acknowledging the significant impact that Dangote and Elumelu have contributed to the country’s development, Shettima noted that every society rises and falls depending on the quality of its leadership.

Shetima said: “This gathering marks our collective recommitment to redirecting the promise and potential of our human capital towards safeguarding the economy.

“It’s an honour to host you, and I eagerly anticipate celebrating the success of the initiatives uniting us.

“Our presence today signifies a tacit understanding that our future is intricately linked to the development of our human capital.

“We have witnessed the growing shift towards knowledge and service-based economies and the advantages they offer, particularly to our youths.”

Dangote Remarks

On his part, Dangote commended Shettima for convening the meeting, saying it shows the commitment of the Bola Tinubu administration to addressing challenges around human capital development.

While pledging his support for the administration’s HCD programme, Dangote called on stakeholders to work diligently towards tackling the challenge of inaccurate data, describing it as the biggest problem in addressing human capital development.

In the same vein, Elumelu pledged his support for the federal government’s initiative, adding that the commitment of the members of the committee is guaranteed.

Pate Speaks

Also speaking, Pate noted the importance of investing in human resources, stating that stakeholders involved in the human capital development programme will reinforce and harness existing data to ensure accountability and accuracy in implementing programmes and projects under the initiative.

Pate expressed optimism that the renewed efforts at fast-tracking human capital development across different levels and tiers of government would attract interest from all stakeholders, including international partners and donor organisations.

Chaudhuri Pledges

In his remark, Chaudhuri pledged the World Bank’s support for the HCD programme, especially in the areas of technical assistance and strengthening of databases.