THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has expressed dissatisfaction over the slow rate of development in Nigeria.
In the Human Development Report 2009 released in Abuja, UNDP put Nigeria’s life expectancy at birth at 47.7 per cent. Adult literacy rate was put at 72 per cent while combined gross enrolment ration stood at 53.0 per cent. The nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDPP) per capita was put at $1, 969.
This year’s report focuses on ‘overcoming barriers, human mobility and development.’
On the human development index level, Nigeria lost a position from 157th position in the last report to 158 out of 182 countries. The human development index measures the average progress of a country in human development. Nigeria’s human development index was put at 0.511 out of one used as benchmark.
The human poverty index for Nigeria stood at 36.2 per cent putting the country on the 114th position among 135 countries for which the index was calculated.
Human poverty index measures severe deprivation in health by the proportion of people, who are not expected to survive to age 40.
Nigeria’s 47.7 per cent life expectancy level trailed those of many African countries, which stood far higher.
Uganda’s life expectancy stood at 51.9 per cent; Cameroon 50.9 per cent, Sudan 57.9 per cent, South Africa 51.5 per cent, Morroco 71 per cent, Cape Verde 71 per cent, Kenya 53.6 per cent, Ghana 56.5 per cent
The report noted that there was the possibility that Nigeria’s life expectancy could drop below 40 per cent by next year 2010.
In his remarks at the presentation of the report, UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Turhan Saleh stressed that development was not just about the rate of economic growth or the quantum of wealth in a country, but rather, ultimately, about the expanding peoples’ choices to live a full life-based on good health, education, income, respect for basic rights and sustainable use of its natural resources.
Of Nigeria, he said, “improvements in Nigeria’s human development index have been slow over the past decades at less than 1 per cent per annum and the country scores well below standards of human development attained by countries at equivalent or lower levels of income. Moreover, there are major challenges with regard to human poverty, as well as, issues regarding gender equity.”
He called attention for policy makers in Nigeria to hasten action and fasten up development processes so that Nigeria could do better in future report.
He continued, “countries with lesser income than Nigeria did much better than Nigeria in the report. Nigeria can do much to perform better with all its resources.” He pledged the support of the UNDP on the nation’s development plans.
His words, “we will do all we can as UNDP, working within the UN family and with other development partners, to contribute our expertise and financial resources to support the achievement of these national plans and priorities.”