ActionAid Nigeria has warned that the country may only achieve 36 per cent of its human capital potential if urgent reforms are not made in education and child welfare.
Citing the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, the group’s Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, said a child born in Nigeria today is likely to reach just over a third of their productive capacity without significant policy changes. He made the remarks on Friday at the National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation of the Homegrown School Feeding Programme, held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.
Mamedu described school feeding as a strategic investment to address rising hunger, low enrolment and weak learning outcomes. He noted that at least 15 million children remain out of school, while millions more face poor infrastructure and food insecurity.
He said ActionAid’s projects, including one funded by the MacArthur Foundation in Kaduna State, have shown the benefits of school feeding in improving attendance and accountability. Mamedu urged the government to adopt the programme nationwide, calling it a “nation-building strategy for inclusion, stability and long-term development”.
