When Lafiya Builds Journalists’ Capacity on Human Capital Development In Kaduna

To increase reportage around human capital development (HCD) in Kaduna State, a UK supported programme, Lafiya had between November 16-18 built the capacity of journalists around the subject matter.

This development has since raised participated journalists’ consciousness to research and report issues that can be narrow down to human capital development – for citizens to make demand while government works towards meeting that demand all targeted at having a healthy productive society.

Human capital is the knowledge, skills and health that people accumulate throughout their lives, enabling them to realize their potential as productive members of an identified society.

The Lafiya programme is a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) funded programme delivered across Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Yobe and the Federal level with activities contextualized for each specific state instead of a “one size fits all” approach.

The programme is being implemented by Palladium and its Consortium Partners – Society for Family Health, Options Consultancy Services Ltd, Centre for Health Economics and Development (CHECOD), Pharm Access, Solina and Chatham House.

Available data showed that Nigeria is in the worst 10 countries in terms of human capital development, hence the need for all hands to be on deck in changing this unpleasant statistical challenge.

Taking the participants through the nitty-gritty of HCD both at the national and the State levels, Lafiya Accountability Expert, Dr Ashiru Hamza Muhammed, quoted World Bank as saying, “investing in people through nutrition health care, quality education, jobs and skills helps develop human capital, and this is key to ending extreme poverty and creating more inclusive societies”.

Talking about HCD context in Kaduna State he said, Muhammed noted that though there was a good understanding of HCD within Government and key stakeholders in Kaduna, particularly at more senior levels, so much need to be done to reduce the under-five mortality rate of about 90 deaths per 1000 live births (2018), under-five stunting rate at 52% (2019) and primary school completion rate at 67% among others.

“Amongst lower cadres of government staff, there was confusion between the idea of HCD and human resources development. But, work on HCD is more established in Kaduna than in any of the other Lafiya States”, he said.

Chairman, Sub-committee on Knowledge Management and Communication, Kaduna Maternal Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM), Garba Muhammed, believed that, with the establishment of HCD Council in Kaduna State, things had begun to fall in place with regard to HCD.

“They are supporting journalists in this three-day workshop to improve our capacity on exposure and agenda-setting around Human Capital Development Council in Kaduna State.

“We must emphasize here that Kaduna is one of the States that has embraced this council aside Abuja where we have the national body which has three major components – health and nutrition, education and labour, targeted at the rural dwellers on how they can access better health care services and a good education from the basics to the tertiary.

“With good health and education, they will be propelled into what we consider productive engagement either private or public in such a way that they can go back and develop their communities”, he said.

Sent By Sola Ojo