Northern Stakeholders Address Human Capital Challenges

Northern stakeholders gathered in Abuja for a summit focused on addressing human capital challenges in Northern Nigeria, organized by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in collaboration with the Northern Nigeria Governors Forum. Vice President Kashim Shettima chaired the summit, which highlighted that the region's greatest challenge is not a lack of potential but insufficient investment in education, healthcare, nutrition, and skill development.

Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia, described the Human Capital Development (HCD) 2.0 strategy as Nigeria's roadmap to achieving a human capital index score of 0.6, aiming to rank among the top 80 countries globally by 2030. The summit called for collective action and strategic partnerships to ensure children receive quality education, addressing concerns such as the almajiri system, inadequate funding, and poor implementation that continue to hinder progress.