Lafiya UK, Yobe State Chart Course for Human Capital Development to harness the potentials of Dividend of Demography
By Ahmed Abba
In a concerted effort to boost its Human Capital Index (HCI) by harnessing the potential of the Demographic Dividend (DD) Roadmap and driving sustainable economic growth in Yobe State, the Lafiya UK programme has brought together representatives from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), along with key stakeholders, to tailor the national Human Capital Development (HCD) initiative to the specific context of Yobe State.
This giant step aligns with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s HCD roadmap thereby aligning with progarmme focus for improved access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including strengthened access and demand, and support to accelerate the demographic transition.
The Lafiya UK Programme, a seven-year initiative funded by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), focuses on improving health outcomes, specifically through strengthen health system to increase Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for vulnerable populations in Nigeria.
The national HCD programme, launched in 2018, aims to address Nigeria’s HCI challenges by accelerating investments in health, education, and labour force participation, mirroring the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.
The five-day workshop, being carried out served to “domesticate” these national objectives, adapting them to the unique realities of Yobe State.
Yobe State has demonstrated its commitment to HCD by establishing an HCD council and technical team, as well as a dedicated secretariat.
The HCD council, chaired by the Deputy Governor of the state, has a broad mandate, including cross-sector coordination of HCD activities, defining the state’s HCD vision, developing policy frameworks and state HCD plans, stimulating stakeholder participation, integrating HCD initiatives into the state budget and development plans, and establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation framework.
Participants at the Kano workshop represented a diverse range of stakeholders, including the National Population Commission (NPC), the Ministry of Health, Women Affairs, Budget and Economic Planning, Agriculture, Religious Affairs, alongside media, Civil Society Organizations and members of the Yobe State House of Assembly.
The workshop aims to establish a customised HCD strategy aligned with Yobe State’s context, leveraging on the DD for long-term prosperity, develop Yobe State’s HCD Baseline Data and Synchronise the HCD and DD Roadmap team while forming a TWG that would continue to chart the course of harnessing DD potentials.
