‘Why Nigeria should improve quality of human capital’

In commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day, Unicaf Nigeria and the African Women in Leadership Organisation (AWLO), have reiterated the need to improve the quality of human capital in

the country, especially among women.

Speaking during the yearly celebration on behalf of AWLO, its Founder and CEO Dr Elisha Attai said: “Quality Education is important in the wake of a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. Currently, women are the most untapped reservoir of human capital, and quality education will shine the light on their talent.”

The Registrar of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), Ms Busola Alofe reinforced the importance of lifelong learning saying: “Education is all about learning throughout our lives. Without quality education for all women, the huge potential of half the global population to create and grow value will remain untapped.”

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Unicaf’s International Marketing Manager Marisol Barajas underlined that “Education is an important tool for achieving gender equality, as it can empower women and give them the confidence to change the world.’

Meanwhile, three winners have emerged under Unicaf’s essay competition titled, ‘The importance of empowering women leaders in Africa through quality higher education at times of crisis’.

Habibat Oyiza Ibrahim, 25, who won the first prize and intends to use her prize, a full Unicaf Scholarship, to study for an online Master’s in Computer Science with Unicaf University, said: “I am optimistic that if women are given equal chances at education, someday many women leaders will say “I came from No-where to Now-here because I was educated”.

Second prize winner Chinelo Linda Okafor, 32, received an 80% Scholarship for a Master’s degree with Unicaf University plus 77.000 NGN in cash.

Speaking at the event she commented: “Women with a higher qualification are more likely to run for political office, and become involved with the decisionmaking process, to help stop gender discrimination. When a higher level of education is attained by the majority of African women, we can build a formidable Africa that will thrive economically and socially, and will be able to withstand any crisis.”

Third prize winner, Angelica Nneoma Daniel, 25, while receiving her prize of a 75% Unicaf Scholarship for an online Master’s degree with Unicaf University plus a free tablet, stated: “Women’s rights are human rights, so we should be offering everyone equal rights, respect and equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of their background. The education of women is the first major step to achieving gender equality.