AbdulWahab Isa …experts, govt officials take positions on report
Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently released, marked down Nigeria on education, poverty and other key indices of development. ABDULWAHAB ISA writes on the implications of the report for the country
The Report
The 2023/2024 Human Development Report (HDR), released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently noted that, “Uneven development progress is leaving the poorest behind, exacerbating inequality, and stoking political polarisation on a global scale. The result is a dangerous gridlock that must be urgently tackled through collective action, according to a new report. Titled; Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarised World, the report disclosed a troubling trend: the rebound in the global Human Development Index (HDI) – a summary measure reflecting a country’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, education, and life expectancy – has been partial, incomplete, and unequal.
The HDI is projected to reach record highs in 2023 after steep declines during 2020 and 2021. But this progress is deeply uneven. Rich countries are experiencing record-high levels of human development while half of the world’s poorest countries remain below their pre-crisis level of progress. Global inequalities are compounded by substantial economic concentration. As referenced in the report, almost 40 percent of global trade in goods is concentrated in three or fewer countries; and in 2021 the market capitalisation of each of the three largest tech companies in the world surpassed the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 90 percent of countries that year.
“The widening human development gap revealed by the report shows that the two-decade trend of steadily reducing inequalities between wealthy and poor nations is now in reverse. Despite our deeply interconnected global societies, we are falling short. We must leverage our interdependence as well as our capacities to address our shared and existential challenges and ensure people’s aspirations are met,” said Achim Steiner, Head of the UN Development Programme. He further noted, “This gridlock carries a significant human toll. The failure of collective action to advance action on climate change, digitalization or poverty and inequality not only hinders human development but also worsens polarization and further erodes trust in people and institutions worldwide.”
The report argues that advancing international collective action is hindered by an emerging ‘democracy paradox’: while nine in 10 people worldwide endorse democracy, over half of global survey respondents express support for leaders that may undermine it by bypassing fundamental rules of the democratic process, as per data analysed in the report. Half of people surveyed worldwide report having no or limited control over their lives, and over two-thirds believe they have little influence on their government’s decisions.
Political concerns
Political polarisation is also a growing concern with global repercussions. Along with a sense of powerlessness, report authors say, it is fuelling inward-turning policy approaches – starkly at odds with the global cooperation needed to address urgent issues like the decarbonisation of our economies, misuse of digital technologies, and conflict. This is particularly alarming in light of 2023’s record breaking temperatures, which emphasize the immediate need for united action to tackle the climate crisis, or in the advent of artificial intelligence as a new and fast-evolving technological frontier with little or no regulatory guard rails.
The report highlights that deglobalization is neither feasible nor realistic in today’s world and that economic interdependence remains high. It points out that no region is close to self-sufficiency, as all rely on imports from other regions of 25 percent or more of at least one major type of goods and services. “In a world marked by increasing polarization and division, neglecting to invest in each other poses a serious threat to our wellbeing and security. Protectionist approaches cannot address the complex, interconnected challenges we face, including pandemic prevention, climate change, and digital regulation,” Steiner added. Saying, “Our problems are intertwined, requiring equally interconnected solutions.
By adopting an opportunity-driven agenda that emphasizes the benefits of the energy transition and of artificial intelligence for human development, we have a chance to break through the current deadlock and reignite a commitment to a shared future.” The report emphasised how global interdependence is being reconfigured and calls for a new generation of global public goods.
It proposes four areas for immediate action: planetary public goods, for climate stability, as we confront the unprecedented challenges of the Anthropocene; digital global public goods, for greater equity in harnessing new technologies for equitable human development; “New and expanded financial mechanisms, including a novel track in international cooperation that complements humanitarian assistance and traditional development aid to low-income countries; and dialing down political polarisation through new governance approaches focused on enhancing people’s voices in deliberation and tackling misinformation.
In this context, multilateralism plays a fundamental role, the report argues, because bilateral engagements are not able to address the irreducibly planetary nature of the provision of global public goods.” In 2023, all 38 countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) achieved higher Human Development Index (HDI) scores compared to their levels in 2019. Among the 35 least developed countries (LDCs) that experienced a decline in their HDI in 2020 and/or 2021, more than half (18 countries) have not yet recovered to their human development levels of 2019. All developing regions have not met their anticipated HDI levels based on the trend before 2019.
It appears they have shifted to a lower HDI trajectory, indicating potential permanent setbacks in future human development progress. The impact of human development losses is in sharp focus in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Afghanistan’s HDI has been knocked back by a staggering ten years, while Ukraine’s HDI dropped to its lowest level since 2004. The report cites research indicating that countries with populist governments have lower GDP-growth rates. Fifteen years after a populist government assumes office, the GDP per capita is found to be 10 per cent lower than it might under a non populist government scenario.
Nigeria
Nigeria, Africa’s biggest country by population size lags behind in all areas of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her healthcare delivery system, education, safety and security and other required basic needs for minimum living standards fall short of standard. This was the summary of the verdict contained in the Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Nigeria launched on March 13, in Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja.
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure reflecting a country’s Gross National Income (GNI) per Capita, education, and life expectancy. Present at the launch were the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Mohamed M.M Fall.
SDGs
The United Nations (UN) in partnership with Nigeria have been working towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. There are 17 interconnected goals which address the major development challenges faced by people in Nigeria and around the world. Since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015, Nigeria has continued to demonstrate its commitment to achieving the global goals through leadership and ownership of the implementation process.
The UN in Nigeria is lending support through provision of technical support to the Office of the Senior Special Advisor to the President on SDGs (OSSAP-SDGs) and line Ministries in an effort to ensure that planning and budgeting for development activities in the country are within the framework of the SDGs. Working closely with the Nigeria government and other partners , the UN ensures that the SDGs are efficiently and effectively implemented by ensuring resources are allocated to sectors of the economy that will yield the highest dividends for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
The UN sustainable goals in Nigeria are global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. UN action plan for Nigeria include, no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth amongst others.
HDI
Essentially, UNDP’s HDI is a tool for assessing average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. The report stated, ‘‘Nigeria’s HDI value for 2022 is 0.548, which puts the country in the low human development category, positioning it at 161 out of 193 countries and territories. “Between 2003 and 2022, Nigeria’s HDI value changed from 0.449 to 0.548, a change of 22.0 per cent.
“Between 2003 and 2022, Nigeria’s life expectancy at birth changed by 5.2 years, expected years of schooling changed by 2.0 years and mean years of schooling changed by 2.9 years. “Nigeria’s GNI per Capita changed by about 45.6 per cent between 2003 and 2022. “In the poverty equilibrium, UNDP MPI looks beyond income and identifies multiple deprivations at the household level in three key dimensions: health, education and standard of living, comprising 10 indicators.
People who experience deprivation in at least one third of these weighted indicators fall into the category of multi dimensionally poor.’’ Hunger, high cost of food items and food insecurity remain the biggest challenges confronting the larger population of Nigerians. In January 2024, Nigeria’s food inflation surged to 35.41% from 33.9% in December 2023. The number of food-insecure Nigerians increased significantly, from 66.2 million in Q1 2023 to 100 million in Q1 2024, with 18.6 million facing acute hunger and 43.7 million Nigerians showing crisis-level or above crisis-level hunger coping strategies as of March 2024.
FG’s reaction
Speaking to the UNDP HDR report, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr Wale Edun said this was a pointer Nigeria must do better than her current performance. “This report opens a new trilogy of human development reports that will explore further the layers of uncertainty identified in the latest HDR: how to address polarization (2023-24), shape our shared digital future to advance human development (2025), and marshal human aspirations to navigate the Anthropocene (2026).
“The only way to facilitate such a structure is through ambitious reforms, starting with more inclusive, representative and, ultimately, more effective global economic governance.” President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Economic Affairs (Vice President’s Office), Dr. Tope Fasua, also spoke on the report. He said the current reforms embarked by the current administration were meant to address lapses in the system.
According to him, “Talking about SDGs and NDGs, note that the sustainable developments are actually a good template for any government around the world to work with and you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. “You can just take it because it talks about poverty, it talks about health, it talks about education, it talks about empowerment, life in the water (underwater). Everything that has to do with the government is encapsulated almost in the SDGs. “It is a very good template and I think that many Nigerian governments have been working with this template over time.
I began to see, just recently, the Borno State government reported that they had reduced the number of out of school children from two million to 800, 000. A few other state governments have done that. Kano State too recorded a reduction in those numbers and so we are following that from a statistical point of view.” Also, Fasua said the current administration; the governors and the president at the centre, are doing pretty well. “As you can see, taking the right reforms to ensure fewer wastage in governance, in resources, in revenue and also expanding the tax or the revenue net without actually increasing taxes on people but ensuring that there is better compliance.
‘‘I can only say they should continue along that line, and then continue to learn from our mistakes and also the mistakes of other countries around us in order to reposition the country for greatness along with these globally acknowledged indices as it were. “The whole idea has to do with governance, especially the fiscal side, about revenue and spending. Better budgeting for some of these key issues will be required and a larger budget as a whole for the country especially in dollar terms, not only in Naira terms that can go a lot farther to solve the problems of our people.
“Some of them existential, some of them having to do with standard of living. So, we need more of this in our country in order to achieve the SDGs totally. A few other governments have done that, even Kano State too recorded a reduction in those numbers and so we are following that from a statistical point of view. ‘‘It seems like the current administration, the governors and the president at the center are doing pretty well as you can see taking the right reforms to ensure fewer wastages in governance, in resources, in revenue and also expanding the tax or the revenue net of you like without actually increasing taxes on people but ensuring that there is better compliance.
“I can only say that they should continue along that light and then continue to learn from our mistakes and also the mistakes of other countries around us and of course their successes as well in order to reposition the country for greatness along with these globally acknowledged indices as it were.”
Resident Coordinator speaks
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Fall in a remark said: “The HDR argues that polarization and mismanagement of cross-border interdependencies are at the root of many contemporary challenges, ranging from debt distress in numerous low- and middle-income countries to threats to food security to a pervasive sense of disempowerment around the world.
“Polarisation within and amongst our countries is creating, “a global gridlock,” and preventing us from forging international cooperation towards addressing our shared challenges. “This polarisation, whether at the subnational, national, regional, or global levels signifies an erosion of trust, that is dividing societies into opposing camps and poisoning domestic and international cooperation.”
Resident Representative on the report
Resident Representative for UNDP Nigeria, Ms. Elsie G Attafuah said, “Since its [HDR] inception, the Human Development Report has become a flagship knowledge product. This unique annual report has not only helped to establish a new broad definition of development but also to evaluate the progress made and highlight key challenges drawing on statistics.
“This report encourages political leaders and development practitioners around the world to keep raising our ambitions and following up on areas that need support. The report calls us to change course, otherwise the world may not recover from the decline in human progress. “The repercussion of not changing course and removing the gridlock is in the additional lives that will be lost, in opportunities that will be forgotten, and in feelings of despair.
“The report presents ways forward that hinge on reimagining cooperation in ways that do not assume away divergent interests or opinions but work with them to deliver global public goods – where we all stand to benefit. “This report opens a new trilogy of human development reports that will explore further the layers of uncertainty identified in the latest HDR: how to address polarization (2023-24), shape our shared digital future to advance human development (2025), and marshal human aspirations to navigate the Anthropocene (2026).”
Experts’ disclosures
The UNDP HDR report has also elicited reactions from both experts and analysts on the economy and development issues. Gabriel Idakolo, Wealth Management Expert said the report is a reflection of reality on ground and ruled out exaggeration. “The Human Development Report is a reflection of the reality on ground and it only captures about 60% of the actual situation of things because the parameters are statistical assumptions, he disclosed, adding; “In education for example, the government has lost control to private sector operators who control from the primary to tertiary education in the country and it comes with exorbitant fees that an average family cannot afford.
“This is further compounded by lack of employment after tertiary education. Statistically there are over 30 million out of school children in the country. The health sector is not faring better because of the mass exodus of qualified medical practitioners from the country leaving Nigerians in the hands of majorly poorly trained or quack doctors”. “The living standards and insecurity is getting worse with terrorists, kidnappers and assassins on rampage. An average of about 200 people are either killed or kidnapped daily in Nigeria.
The advice to the Nigerian government is not to live in denial and embrace this report while truthfully addressing the situation on ground with determination.” Dr. Aliyu Ilias, a Political Economist and Analyst on government policies aligns with the UNDP HDR report. He described the report as fair and accurate. According to him, “It is true that Nigeria has fallen short of SDGs. If you look at the HDI Human development index, look at the three indicators. Education is number one. It has really retrogressed. We may be having an increasing number of universities increase but the quality of education is actually reducing.
Perhaps we have to re- focus our education because most of what we are studying now is archaic so we have to review our curriculum. “Secondly, look at quality of life and life expectancy. It’s shrinking, getting low. Also look at GNI, Gross National Income, or in lay man language, per capita income. Per capita income is becoming much lower. The cost of living is posing a serious problem. To afford food in today’s Nigeria is a herculean task. “If you have income, let’s assume your income is 100%. Of the 100 percent you are using 70 percent for food, it is a serious problem for a country if citizens are using 70% of their income for food. How will they cope with other social things – like paying off house rent, school fees, transport, and other things” Aliyu lamented.
He said without a robust economy, the country and her citizens will be confronted with developmental challenges. “If there is no good economy, people cannot save; and if people cannot save, there would be no capital, and when there is no capital, there won’t be investment. That is the problem of Nigeria. We have actually fallen short and I think the solution is just to redirect our activities intentionally.” Proposing a number of solutions to the government, Aliyu advised the government to renew her policies, noting, “Most of the policies of the government are deepening masses into the poverty pit. Some of the government policies implemented thus far have yet to alleviate peoples’ suffering. The government must ensure all the policies are humane in nature.
‘‘Look at fuel subsidy removal for example. Without putting up the necessary cushioning measures, the government removed the fuel subsidy. CNG buses were not seen, key infrastructures were lacking. Insecurity challenges prevent farmers from accessing their farm lands. Able bodied men are drifting to the city center and urban region, they are not farming again because there is no security. They will pay non-state actors to really access their farms”. “I will suggest to the government to frontally fix our farming system. We can mechanize our agriculture system; look at our policies, reverse the ones that we can reverse, I think that would have given us a better economy and a better political space in Nigeria.”
UNDP
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet.
HD Report
The mission of the Human Development Report Office (HDRO) is to advance human development. The goal is to contribute towards the expansion of opportunities, choice, and freedom. The office works towards this goal by promoting innovative new ideas, advocating practical policy changes, and constructively challenging policies and approaches that constrain human development. The office works with others to achieve change through writing and research, data analysis and presentation, support to national and regional analysis and outreach and advocacy work.
Since 1990, UNDP has released the Human Development Report and Index annually, ranking all countries by health, education and living standards. In the last 3 decades, UNDP has produced more than 800 global, regional, national, and sub-national reports, and organized hundreds of workshops, conferences, and other outreach initiatives to foster human development. Human development is about expanding the richness of human life rather than simply the richness of the economy. It focuses on people and their opportunities and choices.
