Abia to place emphasis on programmes that enhance human capital development
Abia state government has
restated its commitment towards ensuring that her policies and programmes are tailored towards impacting meaningfully on human capital development in the state.
Speaking while inaugurating the newly appointed members of the state Human Capital Development Council in his Umuahia office, the state deputy governor Engr Ikechukwu Emetu, said that the state was committed towards desiging programmes that would impact tangibly on the lives of her citizenry.
Engr Emetu stated that Abia would be positioned as the hub of transformation to exceed the international benchmark on human capital development by the year 2030 stating that the decision was based to eradicate poverty, improve education and health, reduce inequality, grow the economy and protect the environment.
He said that the purpose of the meeting goes beyond mere formalities but to ensure that plans are visible and appreciated by the people and therefore implored the Council to come up with effective and efficient plans and implementation strategies that would benefit all Abians and project the state to the outside world.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Medium and Small Enterprises, Mazi Mike Akpara, harped on the need for retraining and refocusing of the state workforce, noting that this would enable excellent service delivery in all key areas of Human Capital Development.
Earlier, in her presentation, the Chairman , state Civil Service Commission, who doubles as the focal person of the Council, Pst (Mrs.) Eno Jerry Eze pointed out that the purpose of the meeting was to review the HCD implementation plan and strategy and draft plans with inputs from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and from other thematic areas that would not only foster local growth but also meet national standards.
She pointed out that their aim was for Abia to be among the five top ranking in Human Capital Development in Nigeria by 2030.
She, however, regretted the challenges of non-accessibility of data and advocated for institutionalized memory that would enable continuity.
In their separate contributions, the Chairman, Disability Commission represented by the Research and Statistics Officer, Mr. Ikenna Ebiri, and Permanent Secretary, Budget and Planning, Mrs. Magdalene Kalu spoke on the need for a comprehensive detailed database on past and present built capacities and also on disability to include disability components in the baseline of all implementation plans.
