Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has stated that investing in human capital development (HCD) is one of the smartest investments a country can make to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality and boost productivity of labour.
Speaking today through the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat at the Southwest Human Capital Development Regional Conference, with the themed, “From Plan to Action: Push for HCD” held at Marriot Hotel, GRA. Ikeja Governor Sanwo-Olu said with such vision, government has an ineluctable responsibility to organize actions that will improve socio-economic development of the nation.
The governor stressed that the profound shift in global economy is creating a sense of urgency for government to prepare the people for the emerging and complex future, adding that it is imperative to invest in people by ensuring that they accumulate the knowledge and skills they need to compete in a new world.
“As innovation continues to accelerate, it will be harder to catch up with the space of development being witnessed in developed world, if we fail to act decisively now. Our economies will fail further behind if we are not committed to meeting targets of HCD. We have no time to lose as leaders; we must urgently invest in our people.” He said.
Speaking further, the Governor highlighted that the state government is committed to ensuring that every child, man and woman in Lagos is not left behind and has the opportunity to live a full and productive life, adding that his administration made it clear from inception that no segment of the society will be left behind.
“Our administration has initiated laws, policies and institutions including the passage of a Lagos Social Protection Policy which defines interventions targeting the poor and vulnerable including children, women, persons with disability and the elderly carried out across our various ministries and agencies, including ensuring that the budgets are reflective of the aspirations.
The Governor therefore urged the other southwest governors to consistently encourage the private sector and civil society to support these efforts in achieving sustainable human capital development across the 3 thematic areas, which include Education, Health and Nutrition and Labour Force.
Earlier in her Welcome Address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Developmental Goals and Investment, Mrs. Solape Hammond noted that the conference is very apt and has brought together different development stakeholders across the six south-western states aligned in a common goal of improving opportunities for all people to live well, be well and productively engage in country.
The Special Adviser stated that in the last three years of the Sanwo-Olu’s administration priority has been given to alignment of policies and initiatives backed by tangible budget spend on critical human development areas, adding that priorities in driving human development outcomes in the three thematic areas – Health and Nutrition, Education and Labour Force.
The Special Adviser disclosed that interventions and efforts put in place by the government are yielding results as the State remains consistently among the highest-performing states in local and international assessments of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
