Nigeria—Support for Human Capital Development (HCD) 2.0

In the World Bank Human Capital Index report of 2020, Nigeria ranked 168 out of 174 countries, with a score of 0.36, which reflects poor socio-economic outcomes including a learning poverty rate of 70 percent, immunization coverage of 36 percent, an under-5 mortality rate of 110 deaths per 1,000 live births, and a stunting rate of 39.5 percent.

Resources allocated to human capital development (HCD) have lagged, leading the National Economic Council to launch a National HCD Programme in 2018. Led by the Vice President and the 36 State Governors, the programme aims to increase investments in health, education, and labour force participation, particularly for youth and women. With support from the Gates Foundation starting in 2018, the first phase, HCD 1.0, laid the foundation for a national strategy focused on improving outcomes in key areas aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

HCD 2.0 was approved by the National Economic Council in 2024, with the ambitious goal of positioning the country among the top 80 nations in the Human Capital Index ranking by 2030, with an Index score of 0.6. The revised strategy focuses on three strategic themes: health, education and skills, and labour force participation and livelihoods.

With Gates Foundation funding, DAI will support the Office of the Vice President in this effort by facilitating secretariat work across five key workstreams: policy, advocacy, and communication; data and monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning; peer learning and capacity building; technical assistance; and program acceleration.

Sample Activities

• Strengthen multistakeholder platforms through advocacy visits and regional town halls to improve HCD outcomes.
• Coordinate evidence-based campaigns.
• Deliver tailored capacity-building for state focal persons.
• Promote the use of high-quality HCD data for policy making.
• Drive domestic resource mobilization to scale initiatives and innovations, particularly through engagement with the Private Sector Partners Group.