WIMBIZ Tasks Government on Innovative Investment in People

Sunday Ehigiator

Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), has called on government and private sector to deliberately increase their investments in people; especially those at the grassroots level, in the area of agriculture and education to achieve national development.

Speaking during the 2018 CEO/Policy Maker Interactive Series, tagged Innovative Investment in People -The Multiplier Effect as organized by WIMBIZ, the Chairperson, WIMBIZ Executive Council, Mrs. Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi, stated that, “though we are a gender-specific organisation, today’s event and topic are gender neutral. Today’s theme is spurred by the Bill Gates speech given when he visited Nigeria earlier this year.

“The crux of his message was that “Nigeria will thrive when every Nigerian is able to thrive. If you invest in their health, education and opportunities, then they will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity. If you don’t, however, then it is very important to recognise that there will be a sharp limit on how much the country can grow”.

During the panel discussion as moderated by Mrs. Catherine Bickersteth, the panelist through their wealth of experiences discussed innovative ways to bring about positive change and drive the multiplier effect of investments made on human capital in Nigeria.

Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo, while speaking during the interactive panel session affirmed that “government is determined to transform agriculture into a competitive industry that creates jobs and sustains its food security campaign”

According to her, “the Federal Government had taken necessary steps to expand the sector to ensure food security. They include efforts to strengthen policies and the capacity to raise yields, promote market access among farmers, and improve management of the country’s rapidly expanding agriculture industry”.

“In Ogun State, agriculture is receiving attention, the sector has shown that it can provide employment, eradicate poverty and lead to economic diversification and industrialisation of the state”, she noted.

In curbing unemployment, she said youths were being equipped with necessary skills that would help them in gaining employment, especially in agriculture, as she reaffirmed that investing in agriculture by all sectors would lead to huge returns for young people, and improvement on our economy.

Complete involvement of the private sector in the health, education, commerce and industry sector were amongst the topical issues as raised against the backdrop of an excerpt by Bill Gate during his recent visit to Nigeria, where he addressed Nigerian Leaders at the National Economic Council, Abuja; by saying “Nigeria has unmatched economic potential, but what becomes of that potential depends on the choices made by Nigerian leaders.