May 10, 2018

The National Assembly says it will encourage collaboration between the public and private sector in harnessing demographic dividends resulting from Nigeria’s population

Sen. Shuaibu Lau, the Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Population, gave the assurance on Thursday in Lagos, at the 1st Private Sector Conference on Harnessing Demographic Dividend in Nigeria.

The event, which was organised by the National Population Commission and development partners, including UNFPA, HACEY and Population Council, had its theme as: “The Role of Private Sector in Harnessing Demographic Dividend in Nigeria.

Lau said: ”There is need for the public and private sector to collaborate in seeing to a possible breakthrough in demographic studies, analysis, data based that is urgently necessary for developmental agenda of the public and private domain.

”The National Assembly will put its services of law making and amendment of existing status to allow a robust framework for the promotion, propagation of culture of cooperation and collaboration between the public and private,” he said.

Lau called for a joint adequate funding of population activities by the private and public sectors to harness the country’s demographic dividend.

Also, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, urged the private sector to promote demographic dividend in Nigeria.

According to him, the private sector has a critical role to play in utilising resources, experience and expertise to improve the health, wellbeing and education of youth, but also to create and provide the employment and livelihood opportunities in the country.

Kallon, who was represented by Mr Ronald Kayanja, Director of  United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos, urged policy makers to sustain, and scale up private engagements at the sub-national level.

“This is to increase private sector’s involvement to complement public sector efforts toward achieving the Nigeria vision of becoming one of the 20 most developed nations in the world,” Kallon said.