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By Chinwendu Obienyi
In its bid to create viable opportunities amid a growing population, the Lagos state government in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Access Corporation and HACEY, has launched its first demographic dividend roadmap and estimation profile.
This was even as the government noted that the launch of the roadmap will boost credible data collection in terms of population growth, investment, employment, governance, skill development and migration.
Speaking in his welcome address in Lagos, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Economic Planning and Budget, Aare Adebayo Sodade, said the launch of the Lagos State Demographic Dividend Roadmap and Profile is intended to air out new thinking in optimum operation management while adding that this is line with international best practices to ensure that human capital, growth and development are on the front burner of socio-economic plans, programs and project.
“The demographic dividend estimation profile is intended to identify the logical potential that can be harnessed by countries during a period of demographic transition. It is a long look through the window of opportunity and their use depends on several aspects like economic institutional condition of states, operations of the financial sector, family behavior amongst others.
African leaders have already expressed willingness of their countries to carry out actions for the realization of the demographic dividend. Thus, Nigeria has commenced the process of reaping its economic potential with the development of roadmaps that will assist in realization of the demographic dividend”, Sodade said.
According to him, “the launch of the demographic roadmap is expected to herald a new beginning in terms of population management and control through the identification and promotion of demographic dividend in Lagos state and Nigeria as a whole”.
Also responding, Head of Sustainability at Access Bank, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, said it was very important to harness demographic dividend for Lagos residents and Nigerians as a whole, adding that data was something Nigeria needs to improve on.
“This launch is a great step in the right direction both from the public and private sector. This will help us to improve on how we can channel our resources towards the development and also solve the migration crisis and I think that if we can invest better, then we can attract talents into our country and not the other way round”, she said.
In his response, the Executive Director, HACEY Health Initiative, Rhoda Robinson, said HACEY has spent over 15 years working actively in the development space to ensure that the underserved population especially women and young people achieved and are partakers of development and are not overlooked from the grand scheme of things.
