The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that his commitment to human development in the state stems from the desire to groom a repertoire of human capital that will not only drive the local economy but also compete favourably with their peers across the world for opportunities in the coming decades.
Governor Obaseki disclosed this in discussions with top business executive on the side-lines of the 24th edition of the Nigeria Economic Summit, holding in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja, themed: Poverty to Prosperity; Making Governance and Institutions Work.
Mr. Obaseki will be marking his second year in office in November, and was at the event to, among other things, rally top business executives for the Alaghodaro Summit holding in Benin City next month, with a theme that is focused on the Edo People.
The governor engaged with top members of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, which is a private sector think-tank that stimulates conversations around public policy and economic reform.
According to him, “We are harping on skills acquisition and vocational education to ensure that the people are equipped with the right skills to contribute to the economy. We are also focused on basic education and are investing in it through the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme. We are partnering with a technology company to deliver quality education using technology in schools.”
He said, “After the first school term of the programme, we have seen significant changes and improvement in the performance of students and the ease with which they comprehend instructions.
“Over half a million students are to benefit from the Edo-BEST programme and over 7000 teachers have been trained and are currently teaching pupils in 612 schools across the state.”
The governor explained that the state government has, through its skills development platform EdoJobs, trained youth on digital skills, prepping them for jobs and to create solution to society’s problems using digital tools.
This is in addition to a number of reforms in the civil service to make working in government attractive and dignifying, with the renovation of new office blocks, prompt payment of salaries, and an open governance system.