Sydani Group proposes comprehensive Solutions for Nigeria’s sustainable development challenges

Sydani Group, a leading management consulting firm focused on international development challenges, convened a media roundtable titled “Driving Sustainability: A Comprehensive Analysis of Nigeria’s Key Growth Areas.” The event brought together experts from the Sydani Group to discuss critical issues and propose actionable solutions for advancing sustainable development across Nigeria’s most vital sectors.

On Human Capital Development: Empowering Nigeria’s Youth

Sunday Atobatele, the director of the Sydani Fellowship Program, underscored the critical role of human capital development (HCD) in Africa’s economic growth. Atobatele emphasized that a well-developed population fosters innovation, increases workforce productivity, and strengthens resilience.

He highlighted the challenges hindering HCD in Africa, including limited access to quality education, healthcare, and jobs for young people. To address these issues, Atobatele presented a multi-pronged approach that includes initiatives focused on:

Education: universal primary education, quality teacher training, technical and vocational skills development, and digital literacy programs.

Healthcare: universal healthcare coverage, community health worker programs, disease prevention and control measures, and improved maternal and child health services.

Youth Empowerment: programs that equip young people with the skills and resources they need to succeed.

Infrastructure Development: Investments in infrastructure to create a more enabling environment for human capital development.

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Initiatives that break down barriers and empower women to fully participate in the economy.

Social Protection Programs: Programs that provide safety nets for vulnerable populations.

On Education: Equipping the Next Generation for Success

Andikan Ibanga, an education specialist at Sydani Group, dove deep into the education crisis currently facing Nigeria. He identified three key challenges: access, quality, and institutional issues. Over 10 million children remain out of school, often due to social norms that undervalue education, particularly for girls. Additionally, inadequate teacher qualifications and poor learning environments significantly hamper learning outcomes.

Ibanga proposed a comprehensive set of solutions to address these challenges:

Access: Deploying innovative financing models to improve educational infrastructure and frontline service delivery.

Institutions: designing and developing broad-based accountability frameworks and coordination mechanisms, alongside monitoring, learning, and evaluation platforms. These platforms would leverage data for evidence-based decision-making to strengthen institutions.

Quality: Implementing large-scale teacher training initiatives at primary and secondary levels. This would involve reviewing teacher compensation and recognition packages to improve morale and effectiveness. Additionally, Ibanga proposes integrating digital models on a large scale to reach students in hard-to-reach and rural areas.

Healthcare: Ensuring Access to Quality Care for All

Akolade Jimoh, a public health consultant at Sydani Group, shed light on the significant challenges hindering Nigeria’s achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). These challenges include high out-of-pocket expenses for patients, inadequate insurance coverage, and limited government funding.

Jimoh proposed a multi-pronged approach to tackle these issues and expand health insurance coverage while improving affordability.

Mandatory Insurance for All: This would ensure a wider pool of insured individuals, spreading the financial risk and reducing costs.

Streamlined and Digitized Administration: Modernizing healthcare administration through digital platforms can improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Public-Private Partnerships: Collaboration between public and private entities can leverage resources and expertise for better healthcare delivery.

Innovative Financing Mechanisms: Exploring new funding models can help bridge the gap and make healthcare more accessible.

Robust Leadership and Collaboration: Strong leadership and collaboration across various stakeholders are crucial for the successful implementation of UHC initiatives.

On Climate Change: Charting a Course for Resilience

Israel Olaniyan, a policy researcher and sustainability expert at Sydani Group, steered the conversation toward Nigeria’s critical role in combating climate change. Despite being a minor contributor to global emissions, Africa bears the brunt of climate disasters. Olaniyan commended Nigeria’s progress in addressing this challenge, highlighting the updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the establishment of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC).

However, Olaniyan emphasized the need for further action. He advocated for a multi-pronged approach that includes:

Strengthening Policy Frameworks: Integrating climate action across all sectors of governance and the economy to ensure sustainable practices are embedded in national development plans.

Energy Transition and Economic Diversification: Accelerating the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, aligning with global trends, and ensuring national energy security.

Adaptive Agriculture and Water Management: Introducing climate-resilient crops and innovative farming techniques to counter the adverse effects of climate change, alongside investments in irrigation and water management systems to enhance agricultural resilience.

Infrastructure and Community Resilience: Developing climate-resilient infrastructure, particularly in flood-prone areas, to withstand extreme weather conditions.

Policy and International Cooperation: Strengthening policy frameworks for climate action and implementing Nigeria’s NDCs under the Paris Agreement.

On Agriculture: Food Security for the Nation

Godfrey Petgrave, an agriculture specialist at Sydani Group, addressed the urgent issue of food security in Nigeria. The combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and energy shortages threaten food security for over 25 million Nigerians. Petgrave highlighted the need to address herder-farmer clashes and insecurity to enable farmers to cultivate their lands. He proposed solutions, including improved agricultural practices, investment in infrastructure, empowering smallholder farmers, and promoting technology and innovation in agriculture.

Petgrave also warned that the food crisis could persist without addressing these challenges.

On ways to improve food production in the country, Petgrave highlighted micro-dosing, introduced by IFAD and ICRISAT, intercropping and crop diversification, planting pits (Zai), erosion control techniques, improved seeds, integrated soil fertility management, and livestock production practices.

On the action plan towards food security, Sydani gave a five-step roadmap, which includes investing in resilience-building practices and infrastructure, empowering smallholder farmers for sustainable productivity, reforming policies and strengthening institutions for effective coordination, promoting economic inclusion for equitable resource access, and harnessing technology and innovation for optimized agriculture.

On Technology: Leveraging Technology for National Security

Noble Ajuonu, a tech expert and the head of Sydani Technologies, a subsidiary of Sydani Group, emphasized the critical role of technology in strengthening national security. He identified fragmented databases and a lack of data harmonization as major hurdles to effective security measures.

Ajuonu advocated for a multi-pronged approach that includes:

Data harmonization: streamlining and integrating existing databases across various agencies.
Smart surveillance: utilizing technology for intelligent monitoring and threat detection.
Improved interagency information sharing: Fostering seamless communication and collaboration between security agencies.

Community engagement: building trust and cooperation between security forces and local communities.

Ajuonu pointed out that Nigeria’s security sector, despite modernization efforts, struggles to leverage existing technological tools. He highlighted the uncaptured population and fragmented databases as significant barriers. Initiatives like the National Identification Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN), and Voter Identification Numbers (VIN) were intended to create comprehensive databases. However, Ajuonu stressed the critical need for improved integration with security agencies’ systems. Fragmented systems render these powerful tools ineffective, hindering their ability to serve their intended purpose.

By prioritizing data harmonization, smart surveillance, information sharing, and community engagement, Nigeria can harness the power of technology to create a more secure nation.