The Relationship between Manpower Development and Inclusive Growth in Nigeria

Olorunfemi Oladayo1
November, 2015

Dayojohn2004@gmail.com (08065474844)

This essay focus on Manpower development (MPD) issues that address the how employees
can become creative and succinctly prepared towards implementing organizational change
movement closer to inclusive growth (IG)
In the Nigerian economic development process, the de facto barriers to inclusive growth are
driven by complex human behaviour, inextricably linked to evolving organizational
procedures and policy shift. For example, it is not uncommon for an employee in public
sector that choose to participate in an off-the-job training programme within a stipulated
timeframe, say one month to three months schedule; yet, this trainee have simultaneously
embarked on personal functions and private engagements within planned training
hours/periods. However, given the possibilities for participants to obtain preferential
support from training facilitators which sometimes are allowed at implied cost, coupled with
the colonial mentality and Nigerians perception of government work as nobodys work, as
long as all parties concerned smiles to the bank after the programming and certification,
such manpower program is assume beneficial and can be replicated.
In times of crisis, at least in Nigeria context, the lack of training of employees does not
however appears to be the critical impediment to growth; rather the most likely cause of
problem tends to cluster around patterns of training programming, human attitude as well
as organizational behaviour (OB) constraints on growth. As a result of these critical factors
that coexist as barriers to desired growth, I will like to suggest an intervention for review of
policy instruments and introduction of new solution concept in perspective of threefoldMPD, OB and IG strategy.
According to Chakrabarty (2010), IG focuses on productive employment and inequalities
among economic agents including the pro-poor, and IG is about sustainable development.
Moreover, I will like to argue that a strategy for employment transition in Nigeria must
capture organizational behaviour with an equation of change in organizational structure
1

Head of Research and Development: DWIPS Technology Lokoja Nigeria.

and openness of government as well as complaint mechanism to uphold the rule of law
most especially in the public service provision (Figure 1).

I would also suggest to policymakers at the national and state level, to analyze the
procedures on projects/contracts allocation to formalized enterprises in relation to informal
sector (SMEs) mostly constituted by youth and women demographic. This change action will
help to reduce inequality between economic agents and in turn serve as better outcome to
increase the participation and contribution of low-income group towards growth.
However, appropriate measures and equal level participation in awards of government
contracts must be clearly defined to accommodate informal agents and also prevent the
loss of fiscal revenue (VAT) for the government on one hand, and secondly to control the
rate of politically driven business agents from taken the lead, especially where capability
and competency is grossly compromised a causal factor of most project failure and direct
harm to inclusion.
Therefore, as we truly pursue the objective to prevent the vulnerable and informal agents
from being left behind, labour market policies must also promote pro-poor growth

pathways to achieve economic development. In the interim, I will affirm that over centralized
planning approaches in Nigeria appears to be another impediment to growth.

One strategy to tackle this development challenge, especially at state level, is to

disaggregate policy plans so as to attract educated citizens in the lower social economic
status to have access to government information which is of relevance to families or
households improved standard of living. The ambiguities surrounding micro economic
policy which intends to reduce poverty without targeting skillsets at household level have,
unintentionally, promoted employment risk (information asymmetric in the labour market)
and migration by youth from interstate to geopolitical region (Figure 2) perceived to have
higher paid-form of employment.
In the short run, a radical change approach can trickle down to social conflict among
influential agents who are perhaps current winners (formalized businesses and high-income
group in public service). In contrast, presently, Nigeria government is among the losers. One
possibilities and impediments to growth in fiscal revenue is that economic agents may
collectively agree to influence the payments of service fees to individual, rather than make

contributions using legal mechanism. This unchecked behaviours account for ways and
means to seek approval and avoid unproductive delay by most agents.
When change actions/interventions are practiced efficiently, there is no doubt that new
winners among urban-youths with productive skills and capability in non-farm activities as
well as rural-women in farming to support food security (LTPR: USAID, 2015) will emerge.
What the expected outcomes in figure 1 tell us is that, the informal agents with large
population of poor people need to find flexible pathways to also formalize their
individual/family businesses through government and donor support.
A brief analysis of the Nigerian labour force and civil service spectrum suggest starkly
that many directors and few junior level workers are employed to bring about service
delivery and also to inform decision making. These actions points to a tall organizational
structure (Gaurav, 2011) with an assumption of narrow span of control, in practice.
Unfortunately, usage of a tall structure has amounted to huge recurrent expenditure
(salaries and fringe benefits), slow processes in decision making as well as distorted
communication and delayed in document approval as associated with many directors levels.
Conversely, I would suggest a tradeoff and gradual use of flat structure which however
doctrine an upgrade of office technology, signed with hand-on training of junior level
workers to assist management task. This option has an improved process flow and more
cost-saving, better than the former.
In summary, a change in organizational structure is believed to go beyond creating charts
(Shapiro, 2012); rather, structures evolve around people, requirements and policies,
technology, techniques and change action/behaviour. Therefore the lessons drawn from the
theory of change sum up to enhanced Dignity of Labour (eDOL) which is a fundamental
initiative that I propose for Nigeria development process - MPD change and IG focus is a
step in positive direction for youth employment, poverty and inequality reduction aligned
with SDGs 1 and 10.

I therefore submit that if change progress is monitored through

complaint mechanism, the reward accrued can be immense.

Reference
Chakrabarty, K.C (2010) What is Inclusive Growth? A speech delivered by Deputy Governor
of reserve bank of India.
Gaurav, A. (2011) Difference Between Tall and Flat Organizational Structure, Kalyan-city life.
Oladayo, O and Kola, R.K (2014) Inclusive Growth and Employment Risk 1985-2009: The
effects of Unemployment on economic growth and Development in Nigeria. August, 2014.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/245258353/Inclusive-Growth-and-Employment-Risk-1985-2009

Shapiro, D. (2012)
www.firstconcept.com

Strategy

Follows

Structure,

Structure

Supports

Strategy.

USAID (2015) Land Tenure, Property Rights and Economic Growth, Massive Open Online
Course (MOOC) by Canvas Network.
What is the meaning of Manpower Development? eHow contributor by Srinivasan, Sujata
WJP (2015) The Rule of Law Index: Open Government and Complaint Mechanism, World
justice project.