At World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting, VP Shettima Pushes For Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 Agenda

** Calls for evidence-based interventions, stronger global partnerships in education, health, labour sectors

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for stronger international collaboration to advance Nigeria’s Human Capital Development 2.0 (HCD 2.0) strategy.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to positioning human potential at the heart of national development.

Speaking virtually at a high-level roundtable on the sidelines of the 2025 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, VP Shettima said the success of HCD 2.0 will hinge on data-driven, evidence-based interventions and sustained political will.

The HCD 2.0 programme is designed to elevate Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI) and equip Nigeria to face both national and global challenges, including climate change and digital transformation.

The Vice President pointed out that the meeting was necessitated by the urgency to invest in the Nigerian people and by the recognition that true national wealth is found not in natural resources, but in human potential.

“This meeting, for us, is not just another item on our global agenda. It is a continuation of a journey whose beginnings I had the privilege of witnessing about seven years ago. True national wealth is found not in natural resources, but in human potential.

“We will offer our HCD 2.0 Strategy the political backing it deserves to be the priority of our nation, and His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has never wavered on this,” he said.

The session featured key stakeholders from the World Bank, including Executive Director, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; Regional Director for Human Development in the Western and Central Africa, Trina Haque; Senior Social Protection Specialist and Regional Task Team Leader, Africa West & Central region, Tina George, and Chief Economist for Human Development in the World Bank Group, Norbert Shady.

The Nigerian delegation included the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President/ Chair of the HCD Core Working Group, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia and Special Adviser to the President on National Economic Council & Climate Change/National Coordinator of HCD programme, Rukaiya El-Rufai.

VP Shettima reiterated the federal government’s determination to ensure the continuity and deepening of the HCD agenda.

“Government is a continuum. Nowhere is this truer than in programmes that demand patience, vision, and long-term commitment—programmes such as our Human Capital Development programme,” he noted.

He revealed that under HCD 2.0, six priority indicators from the health, education, and labour force sectors have been selected as “quick wins” to guide policy interventions and track measurable progress.

“We have carefully curated priority indicators and an HCD Dashboard to track them. This allows us to make informed policy decisions and measure our progress against tangible benchmarks,” Senator Shettima said.

The Nigerian Vice President also reaffirmed the administration’s resolve to remain transparent and results-oriented to achieve measurable outcomes.

“We will continue to hold ourselves accountable and press forward toward our bold goal to elevate Nigeria among the top 80 countries in Human Capital Index rankings,” he said.

Senator Shettima also called on the World Bank and other development partners to support the availability of disaggregated, state-level Human Capital Index (HCI) data to enable more targeted interventions.

Stressing the need for equity and inclusiveness in implementing the HCD 2.0 strategy, he said, “We are leaving no sub-national in Nigeria behind. Some of the states have already set a template for the others, having localised the HCD strategies to align with the peculiarities of their people while, of course, aligning them with the national strategy.”

The World Bank representatives at the meeting committed to strengthening the bank’s partnership with Nigeria to improve the country’s Human Capital Index and proposed senior-level stakeholder engagement to identify optimal areas for technical support.

There were also several speeches from representatives of Nigerian state governments, including Akwa Ibom and Lagos, as well as representatives of other local and international development organisations.

At World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting, VP Shettima Pushes For Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 Agenda

VP Shettima Extols UBA’s Dedication To Innovation, Emerging Markets At 75

** Says bank has shaped narrative of what African institutions can become

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has extolled what he termed the staying power of the United Bank of Africa (UBA Group) in the past 75 years, describing the financial institution as a pacesetter in innovation, emerging markets and generational ambition.

“Seventy-five years is not something you pick up at a supermarket. It is earned. It’s through risks and calculations, through storms and sunshine, through mergers and acquisitions, and through the brainpower and courage of those who believe in its promise of a new world. That is what leadership means,” he declared.

Senator Shettima, who spoke on Friday evening during the UBA 75th Anniversary Dinner at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, noted that the celebration of an institution like UBA “that has outlived generations and still pulses with the vibrancy of youth” is not something that happens everyday.

He said, “The United Bank for Africa, or simply UBA, is not what it is because of the age of its ideas. It is what it is because of the attention it pays—attention to innovation, attention to emerging markets, attention to shifting dreams, and attention to the changing contours of generational ambition.

“UBA has remained a pacesetter because it is led by people who do not just manage capital, but manage curiosity”.

Applauding UBA for outliving all its contemporaries, VP Shettima attributed its staying power to its passion for relevance, even as he described the bank as a quintessential specimen of what an African institution could become by institutionalizing excellence.

His words: “UBA’s staying power is owed to its pursuit of relevance. It has stood as a reward for new thinking, expanding not just across geography, but across ideas.

“It serves millions, it shapes economies, and it influences the narrative of what an African institution can become when excellence is institutionalised and when well-intentioned dream-makers are in charge.”

The Vice President did not celebrate UBA without acknowledging the leadership ability of the bank’s Chairman, Mr Tony Elumelu, whom he described as one of the finest sons of the African continent, just as he observed that no institution writes its history without the signature of those who believe in it.

According to him, Elumelu has “become a bridge between the old and the new, between the outdated and the emerging,” adding that he “has won the trust of even the Gen Zs, or whatever this brilliant, digital generation calls itself.”

The Gen Zs, VP Shettima noted, have absolute trust in Elumelu “not because of the era he was born in, but because of the attention he pays to theirs,” observing further that he is being heard across generations because he listens across generations.

He continued: “Tony Elumelu is not a dreamer. Dreamers are those who are stuck in the bubble. Mr Elumelu is a dream-maker. He has made true the imagination of those who wish for an empire from the comfort of their homes. He has taught us that it is possible to build without breaking, to lead without losing touch, and to dream without borders.

“One thing that has amused me about Mr Elumelu over the years is that he has cracked a code many still struggle to decipher—the delicate art of balancing the boardroom with the living room, of being a captain of industry and still a commander at home.

“Not many men have managed a balance between building empires and building families, between saving the world and being present at Christmas in their village. But this man, this maverick, this dream-maker, has shown us that you can help move the continent forward without losing touch with home and family.”

The VP also lauded Elumelu’s wife, Dr Awele Elumelu, saying she is not just a spouse, “but an Amazon—a matriarch who gathers the kith and kin under her warm canopy,” as well as the quiet strength behind the force that is her husband.

Earlier, Group Chairman of UBA, Tony Elumelu expressed profound gratitude to the Vice President while acknowledging the bank’s foundational history.

“This is a night of celebration, gratitude to God and to customers and shareholders who have made it possible,” Elumelu stated.

The Chairman emphasised the importance of honouring those who established UBA’s foundation, saying, “We all today are under the shields because someone planted the tree. The foundation of UBA was laid by people before us, we are only taking it further.”

Looking toward the future, Elumelu expressed confidence in the bank’s continued success, tying it directly to Nigeria’s economic environment.

“On the vision of the next 75 years, just keep transforming our domestic economy as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing, and UBA will keep roaring,” he affirmed.

In his welcome address, UBA’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Oliver Alawuba, expressed gratitude to attendees while highlighting the bank’s remarkable journey since its inception.

“75 years ago, UBA commenced operations at Kakawa Street in Lagos as British & French Bank (BFB),” he said.

The GMD emphasised UBA’s impressive expansion over the decades, noting the bank now operates in 24 countries with 1,000 business offices, over 25,000 staff members, and a customer base exceeding 45 million people.

Dr. Alawuba shared financial metrics demonstrating the bank’s robust performance, including a profit after tax of N766.6 billion and total assets reaching N30.4 trillion.

He said shareholders have been rewarded with a dividend of ₦5 per share, representing a dividend yield of 14.5% – the highest among industry peers.

He also pointed out that the group’s shareholders’ funds rose significantly to N3.419 trillion in 2024 from N2.030 trillion in December 2023.

“The 2024 financial performance demonstrated the bank’s continued focus on driving earnings growth, preserving asset quality, expanding business operations and deepening market share,” Alawuba said.

Looking to the future, the GMD outlined an ambitious vision for UBA to establish a presence in every African country and expand to over 100 countries worldwide within the next 75 years.

VP Shettima Extols UBA’s Dedication To Innovation, Emerging Markets At 75

Harnessing Solar Power: Patient care improved as hospital switches to renewable energy in northern Nigeria

By: Michael Mike

To improve patients’ healthcare in northern Nigeria, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is embracing solar energy to power the hospitals it supports, which have historically depended on expensive, fuel-intensive generators. By moving to renewable energy, communities in the region now have better, more sustainable access to life-saving medical devices, medication, and infrastructure.

Moments before the switch, many staff at Zurmi Hospital held their breath, worried about how the change in power would affect medical operations.

“We have people on oxygen tanks,” an MSF staff member said, reminding the engineers about what was at stake.

Very quickly, those fears turned to relief as the transition went smoothly, and the power remained stable throughout the day and into the following days.

“Before, it was extremely challenging,” said Israel Mushore, the energy manager who worked on the project for five months. “Patients would be taken into surgery, and there was always the risk of a power cut in the middle of the procedure. Now, with solar power, we have a stable and reliable energy source.”

For years, Zurmi General Hospital had been cut off from the national grid. Instead, it had to rely on generators that consumed more than 3,000 gallons of fuel each month to power the medical facilities. The system led to frequent and frustrating power disruptions.

Since installing 436 solar panels this year, the 250-kilowatt solar power system has consistently kept medical devices running, medications refrigerated and enabled emergency surgical procedures. A battery backup system also ensures that hospital operations continue smoothly at night and during extended periods of cloud coverage. Patients in the hospital, including in maternity care, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and the cholera unit, have experienced their healthcare improved.

“I cannot overstate how the switch to solar panels has improved our ability to respond to malnutrition and paediatric emergencies by being able to better store vaccines and expand our outreach,” said Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, MSF Head of Mission in Nigeria.

At the same time, the introduction of renewable energy has strengthened the hospital’s ability to provide consistent, quality care over the long term. By changing the infrastructure of what needs to be sourced, transported, stored, and paid for, the hospital is now better equipped to deliver more reliable and uninterrupted care.

And, because it is a cleaner energy source, it has a smaller environmental footprint, reducing its contribution to the climate crisis that is already impacting the people MSF serves.

Climate change affects patients’ health

Climate-related shocks, such as droughts and floods, are severely impacting agricultural productivity, disrupting access to land for livestock herders and farmers, and sparking competition over resources. This is fuelling violence and displacement, leading to food insecurity and malnutrition across the region.

Over the years, MSF teams in the eight northern states of Nigeria, where MSF operates – including Zamfara State, where Zurmi Hospital is located – have recorded a concerning rise in the number of severely malnourished children with life-threatening complications. In 2024, MSF treated over 300,000 children—an alarming 25 percent increase from 2023. Over 75,000 of these children required inpatient care. This year, in anticipation of an even higher number of patients suffering from malnutrition, MSF is in the process of increasing its bed capacity in some of its hospitals.

MSF teams have also observed how years of changing weather – including warmer temperatures and shifting rainfall – have enabled mosquitoes to breed more rapidly and thrive in new areas, increasing Nigerians’ exposure to malaria. According to 2023 numbers – the most recent data available from the World Health Organization (WHO) – Nigeria accounted for 26 percent of the global 263 million cases, with a significant surge of an estimated 6.8 million more cases from 2018 to 2023.

“Every day, we witness how climate factors influence the health of communities around the world,” Mohamed Ali said. “From the rising frequency of extreme weather events to violent land disputes stemming from drought-ravaged farmlands that have diminished crop yields, the connection between climate and health is stark.”

Doing more to mitigate climate change

In addition to the consistency of using solar energy, transitioning to renewable energy has meant that MSF can better respond to patients’ needs. By spending less money and time to source and transport costly fuel to keep generators going – especially in remote areas – MSF has been able to devote more resources toward other necessary costs to keep its hospitals running and accessible to patients. Already, the organization is starting to see this through its other solar panel installations in Zamfara State – Talata Mafara and Gummi – and in the states of Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Kano, and Sokoto.

“While there are still other steps to be taken to reduce MSF’s overall environmental impact, switching to solar power is part of our work to create a more sustainable solution that will benefit patients and the communities,” Mohamed Ali added.