The nature of work is changing both globally and locally here in Nigeria. How can the government prepare its workforce to seize the opportunity that comes with disruption?

1. No. 2: A proposed solution which can convey how the nature of work is changing and
what your country/sector governments can do to prepare and support their workforces
(By Victor Onyekwere).
The nature of work is changing. Traditionally, most people were subsistent farmers and
worked in agriculture with hand tools and beasts of burden. Then came the industrial
revolution of the 1800s which brought about the mechanisation of labour. Heavy industries
and manufacturing became the new way people worked, and rapid industrialisation gave
rise to new wealth and ways of doing things. Innovation grew rapidly and a new age was
ushered in - the age of computers and the Internet, revolutionary technologies that have
altered the cause of mankind forever. But now, another change is taking place, fostered by
the two forces of automation and globalisation and threatening our ways of doing things all
over the world – our laws and processes, the way we learn and work, our entire social order.
What is this change, and how can we prepare and support our workforces for this future of
work?
NIGERIA.
Nigeria has one of the world’s largest population (200m). Of that number, roughly 62% are
under the age of 25. The nature of work is changing both globally, and locally here in
Nigeria. Technology is changing the way people work and learn, especially for the young.
This can be bad or good because the adoption of tech solutions also threatens to take away
many of the jobs in the present economy, but it also presents a big opportunity for growth
and improvement in the welfare of the people. The future of work in Nigeria and Africa as a
whole will be shaped by disruptions to labour markets from global trends including the
generation and diffusion of digital technologies, economic integration, climate change and
fragility, and demographic transitions. But the World Bank Development Report, 2019
argues that the extent of this disruption in Africa will be different than the rest of the world.
This means we must come up with solutions that reflect our realities, especially requiring
more responsive risk management strategies for the region. We must look into building our
human capital base by extensive investments in health and education, particularly early
childhood education to develop high-order cognitive and sociobehavioural skills. We must
strengthen and enhance current social protection and labour programs for the poor and
vulnerable by ensuring a solid guaranteed social minimum and strengthened social
insurance, complemented by labour market reforms. And we must create the fiscal space
for public financing of human capital development and social protection.
According to the recently published World Bank Development Report (WDR) 2019, the
Human Capital Index (HCI) of Nigeria in 2018 was 0.34. The HCI is a measure of the
productivity of a society. This means that Nigeria is only 34% as productive as it would
otherwise be if it met the full benchmark of good health and complete education. To put it
differently, Nigeria’s GDP could be 3 times as large if it met this full benchmark. This also has

2. implications for future productivity as its effects compound over time. Successive
generations are put at a further disadvantage especially the poorest. The aspirations of
young people are rising increasingly and if these aspirations aren’t met, the threat of
instability looms.
To make up this HCI, 3 factors were considered which makes it easier for policymakers to
focus their efforts and measure results.
1. Survival to age 5. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life offer a unique window of
opportunity for preventing undernutrition and its consequences. According to
UNICEF, Nigeria has the second highest rate of stunting in the world, estimated at
32% of children under five. This deprives them of the ability to reach their full
potential in life. We must do our best to mitigate this. This means infants must be
given the best care possible to ensure they have full health and avoid stunting. The
education of this group must also be taken seriously because humans learn best at
this age.
2. Education. A benchmark used by the World Bank is the Learning Adjusted Years of
Schooling (LAYS) which adjusts the number of years spent in school for the amount
of learning done by the students. Right now, the LAYS for Nigeria is abysmal – a mere
4.3 years out of a 14-year schooling system. This means our young spend almost 10
years in school learning nothing. Nigeria must invest extensively in the quality of
education her children get, which means the quality of teachers must improve. We
can also employ more teachers to reduce the student-teacher ratio. Better pay for
teachers is also something that needs to be implemented.
3. Adult Survival Rate. Life expectancy in Nigeria is 56 years, which is smaller than the
world average. Healthcare reforms are needed to ensure our people are healthy and
working, living up to their full potential.
In addition to the above, the concept of lifelong learning has to been emphasised and
imbibed by the populace. This is easier when learning is embraced in early childhood.
Tertiary education can serve to teach the skills that are in demand in the workplace. Also,
adult learning outside of the workplace is another way to upskill and train the workforce of
the future, ensuring that people always have relevant skills.
Beyond building human capital, the government must tackle the problem of informality in
the country. Majority of Nigerians work in the informal sector beyond the reach of taxation.
The government should create incentives for businesses to move into the formal sector. This
helps to broaden the tax base, without necessarily burdening already existing taxpayers.
Measures should be taken to curb the menace of tax avoidance and profit shifting, while
also taking care to avoid incidences of multiple taxations. Most Nigerians also live in rural
areas where subsistent agriculture is the only way they survive. There is ample opportunity
for this sector to be formalised, while also subsidising cost of mechanisation to help rural
farmers be more productive. This can help reduce the extent of urban migration and is
actually going to be a win-win for everyone. Policies that would help more women work or
thrive in their chosen careers should be enacted. Women and girls make up half of our
population, but very often we fail to find them in representation in most jobs especially in

3. the formal sector. The current presidential cabinet has less than 14% female representation.
This is the general state of things in Nigeria, and it robs us of the potential of half our
population. The education of women and girls must also be taken seriously. Studies show
that the infant of an educated mother has a greater chance of surviving to age 5, getting
better nutrition and healthcare, and going to school.
Finally, Nigeria needs some kind of social protection program. A consistent set of policies
designed to reduce or mitigate the effects of the poverty and vulnerability when people are
exposed to economic and social risks such as unemployment, illness, ageing, etc. by
promoting efficient labour markets. We must clearly define a social contract based on
shared principles of market regulation and income redistribution that captures our present
reality, while also incorporating our vision for our future. Rising inequality between groups
and regions in Nigeria is further deepening the divide while increasing tensions and
hostilities. Insecurity is on the rise and will only continue to do so if the underlying problems
of poverty, inequality and illiteracy are not curbed. The cost of governance in Nigeria is
extremely high, and there is zero justification for that. Corruption is rife and public
perception is that it is sanctioned by government. The cost of governance must be cut
drastically. Unnecessary aides and parastatals must be cut, and the savings from that used
to fund social policies.
REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Nigeria#cite_note-:2-2
“Choi, Jieun; Dutz, Mark; Usman, Zainab. 2019. The Future of Work in Africa: Harnessing the
Potential of Digital Technologies for All. Washington, DC: World Bank. © World Bank.
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/32124 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
World Bank. 2019. World Development Report 2019: The Changing Nature of Work.
Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1328-3. License: Creative Commons
Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/
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