A June 2018 report by the World Poverty Clock shows Nigeria as having the largest extreme poverty population globally, overtaking India to this position. With 86.9 million Nigerians now living in extreme poverty i.e below the globally accepted standard of 1.25 dollars per day, this represents nearly 50% of our estimated 180 million population. Out of the 15 world countries with the highest poverty rate, 13 of them are African countries. This already puts the SDG goal of ending poverty in all its forms at risk.

 

Realistically, the major solution to tackling the staggering poverty rate in Nigeria and Africa as a whole lies in human capacity development.

 

Besides the governance and political processes that undermine poverty alleviation efforts over past decades, a key factor to be considered in the discussion of income inequality and unemployment rates is the dearth of skilled and productive labour that can be exchanged for value.

 

Beyond highlighting these needs, we need to articulate what needs to be done.

Education is the first step in the right direction. Statistics show that two in five African adults are illiterate. While the number of schools may be increasing in Nigeria, access and attendance rate is not evenly spread in rural and impoverished communities. In areas plagued by instability or insurgency, general attendance is down due to violence and gender inequality.

 

The case for education and improving literacy outcomes goes beyond formal education to facilitating learning, acquisition of vocational skills and skills that will harness the enormous benefits of our agricultural resources. It is paramount that the skilled population percentage increases. Skill is the lifeline out of poverty.

 

The only way we can compete at the global stage is if we concertedly develop specialized and technical skills at professional levels through aggressive skill acquisition orientation campaigns, workshops and advocacy drives for increased transparent budgetary allocations to the education sector. Acquiring entrepreneurship, business and tech skills empower individuals to make progress in their career paths.

 

When industrialization, trade and investment opportunities arise and there is a scarcity of skilled local manpower, we would be inevitably be replaced by expatriates. It’s skilled people who are more likely to recognise and take advantage of opportunities.

 

Taking this a step further, the project is also designed to provide network opportunities to support the career growth and viability of skill acquisition beneficiaries and equip them to climb up and contribute at global levels.

 

Human resource is the key to developing Africa’s potential and driving out poverty and we must determinedly harness the far-reaching possibilities in order to end poverty and ensure sustainable economic development.