Who We Are – Human Capital Development (HCD) in Nigeria

Vision

A healthy and inclusive Nigeria with an educated workforce, advancing sustainable development, social stability and resilience through HCD-focused strategies by 2030.

Mission

Building a healthy, educated & productive Nigeria. The program aims to drive sustainable economic growth, boost productivity, and reduce poverty by placing human potential at the heart of national development.

Our Goal

The National Human Capital Development (HCD) Program, revitalized as HCD 2.0, aims to elevate Nigeria’s human capital outcomes with a focus on education, health, and workforce development. Our overarching goal is to achieve a top 80 country ranking in the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI) with an index score of 0.6 by 2030.

This global benchmark allows Nigeria to measure its progress against international standards across health, education, and economic productivity.

Specific targets derived from this overarching goal include:

Health

Reduce the under-5 mortality rate from 110 to 40-50 deaths per 1,000 live births and reduce the under-5 stunting rate from 39.5% to 25% or lower.

Education

Reduce the number of out-of-school primary-aged children from 25.6% to below 10%.

Labour Force

Reduce the youth unemployment rate (NEET) from 14.4% to below 10%.

Organizational Structure

The HCD programme is built on a robust three-tier governance structure to ensure coordination from the federal to the local level.

The HCD 2.0 framework adopts the existing structure while adding advisory groups to strengthen governance and sustainability.

NEC HCD Steering Committee

The HCD programme is built on a robust three-tier governance structure to ensure coordination from the federal to the local level. The HCD 2.0 framework adopts the existing structure while adding advisory groups to strengthen governance and sustainability.

Core Working Group (CWG)

This is the program’s technical brain trust and operational nerve centre. It is chaired by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in the Office of the Vice President. The CWG translates national policy into measurable outcomes and drives day-to-day coordination, technical design, and performance monitoring.

Focal Persons Forum (FPF)

This platform brings together all 37 State Focal Persons to collaborate, share knowledge, and advance the HCD strategy at the sub-national level, ensuring alignment with national goals.

Private Sector Partnership Group (PSPG)

Aims to mobilize private sector resources, expertise, and innovative funding solutions to support and sustain HCD initiatives.

National HCD Champions Forum (NHCF)

A coalition of influential traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other prominent voices dedicated to advocating for HCD values and fostering community engagement.

Unique Mandates

The HCD program is Nigeria’s people-first development strategy, designed to add millions of healthy, educated, and economically productive citizens. Its unique mandates include:

Coordinating a Multi-Sectoral Ecosystem

The central aim is to coordinate the efforts of diverse stakeholders across health, education, labour, the private sector, and development partners to foster collaboration and efficiency.

Data-Driven Execution

The program is committed to evidence-based execution, actively tracking over 50 HCD indicators in real-time through a national HCD Dashboard to assess performance, identify gaps, and adjust strategies quickly.

Decentralized Implementation

The program was structured to catalyse state-level innovation. It empowers states to lead implementation by localizing national strategies to align with the unique needs of their people.

Integrating Cross-Cutting Themes

HCD 2.0 integrates critical cross-cutting themes to future-proof the program, including Gender and Equal Opportunities, Climate Change and Sustainability, Digital Economy and Financial Inclusion, and Food and Nutrition.