The Oyo State Government has taken another step toward strengthening human capital development with plans to establish a dedicated Human Capital Development (HCD) Agency aimed at coordinating and tracking development indicators across the state.
The move, according to the government, aligns with the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde and its emphasis on building enduring institutions capable of sustaining growth beyond individual office holders.
The proposed agency is expected to serve as a central coordinating body for monitoring, evaluation, accountability and feedback on human development indices in Oyo State.
Officials said the agency would also streamline policies and programmes connected to education, healthcare, nutrition and workforce development.
The development came amid renewed calls by the Presidency for state governments to strengthen and institutionalise their human capital development frameworks as part of efforts to drive Nigeria’s broader development agenda.
Speaking at a recent high-level Human Capital Development workshop in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the HCD Core Working Group, Ms. Rukaiya El-Rufai, stressed the need for stronger commitment from subnational governments.
According to her, Nigeria possesses the population, energy and potential needed for growth, but requires coordinated action and sustained leadership to unlock them.
She said human capital development should not be viewed as charity or routine spending, but as a strategic investment capable of shaping the nation’s future.
“In the end, the wealth of a nation is not buried under the ground. It walks on two legs, thinks with a human mind, and works with human hands,” she said.
The workshop drew participation from several local and international stakeholders, including representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), federal ministries, departments and agencies, as well as Human Capital Development focal persons from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking during a panel session focused on federal and state alignment with the Human Capital Development Strategy 2.0, the Oyo State Focal Person on Human Capital Development, Rev. Idowu Ogedengbe, highlighted some of the state government’s interventions in the education sector.
He said the state had moved from policy discussions to practical implementation through the recruitment and training of about 15,000 teachers by the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, the Teaching Service Commission and the Ministry of Education.
Ogedengbe also noted that Oyo State had adopted technology-driven learning models, which he said had improved literacy and numeracy levels among pupils, increased school enrolment and encouraged greater parental involvement in children’s education.
In what many participants described as a recognition of Oyo State’s growing role in regional human capital initiatives, Rev. Ogedengbe was elected as the South West Regional Coordinator for Human Capital Development.
His new role will see him coordinate activities across the six South West states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun.