Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has said that human capital is Nigeria’s greatest asset and not its natural resources.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 National Industrial Manpower Summit (NIMS) in Abuja on Tuesday, Tinubu said that for a nation with a median age of about 17, Nigeria is an incredibly young country.
“This youthfulness is a gift, but it is also a responsibility. We must make our young people not just a demographic statistic, but a central component of our policy-making process,” he said.
President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, described human capital as the bridge between development and setback in every nation and stressed the need for the country to bridge the gap to unlock Nigeria’s economic potential.
Tinubu urged the summit to produce actionable recommendations to form the basis of a new policy, assuring that his administration would adopt and implement viable proposals from the summit with urgency.
He called for robust public-private sector collaboration, industrial skills database, sector-specific manpower roadmaps, and an elevated status for vocational and industrial training.
In her speech, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, described manpower development as key to attracting and retaining domestic investment for industrialization.
She said that her ministry’s mandate was firmly anchored in the Renewed Hope Agenda for building a stronger, more competitive and inclusive economy.
GIK/APA