International Journal of Training and Development 11:3

ISSN 1360-3736

International briefing 19:

training and development
in Nigeria
Tajudeen Akanji and Akanji R. Bankole

Demographic information about Nigeria

Nigeria formally emerged as a nation in 1914 with the amalgamation of the protector-
ates of Southern and Northern Nigeria by the British colonial power. Geographically,
the country occupies a land mass of approximately 923,736 sq km on the west coast of
Africa between the latitude of 4°1′ and 13°9′N and longitudes 2°2′ and 14°30′E. Nigeria
shares borders with four countries: the Republic of Niger to the north, the Republic of
Chad and Cameroon to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the west. The country is
bounded in the south by a vast coastline of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Guinea,
which measures about 800 km (UNSN, 2001).
Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, with a 1991 population of almost 90
million comprising 50.04 per cent males and 49.96 per cent females (NPC, 1998). The
population is estimated at 128,766,000 for the year 2005 (US Census Bureau, 2005). With
an annual growth rate of between 2.5 per cent and 3.0 per cent, Nigeria has one of the
highest population growth rates in the world (NPC, 1998; US Census Bureau, 2005). The
population profile of the country is a young one, with a median age of 17.4 years and
44.9 per cent being under the age of 15 years in 1991. In the same year, people of 65
years and above constituted just 3.3 per cent of the population (NPC, 1998). Nigeria is
also experiencing a high rural–urban drift, with Lagos State having the highest positive
net migration, followed by Kaduna. Imo State had the highest negative net migration.
However, rural areas still harboured approximately 64 per cent of the population in
1991 (NPC, 1998).
Nigeria is governed under the federal constitution of 1999. The executive branch is
headed by a president elected by a popular vote for the period of 4 years for a

❒ Dr. Tajudeen Akanji, Lecturer in Industrial Education and Adult Literacy, Department of Adult
Education, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Email: adeakanji2002@yahoo.co.uk. Akanji R. Bankole, Assis-
tant Lecturer in Industrial Relations, Department of Industrial Relations, Lagos State University, Lagos,
Nigeria. Email: bankolerafiu@yahoo.com
The authors acknowledge the contributions of the following in gathering material for this briefing: Dr.
S. T. Aroge, Department of Adult and Continuing Education, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba,
Ondo State, Nigeria; Dr. Kolade Odekunle, Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research,
Ibadan, Nigeria; and Professor Sheik A. Abdullah, Mr. B. Kefas and Mrs. Cecilia Umaru Gaya, all from
the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Badagry, Nigeria.

© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2QD,
UK and 350 Main St., Malden, MA 02148, USA.

222 International Journal of Training and Development

maximum of two terms. The president is assisted by a bicameral cabinet comprising a
360-seat House of Representatives and a 109-seat Senate. For administrative purposes,
the country is divided into 36 states and a federal capital territory with headquarters in
Abuja.
The economy of Nigeria is based largely on agriculture, and more than 75 per cent of
the active workforce is engaged in farming. The chief crops are cassava, sorghum,
millet, cotton, corn, yam, rice, palm products, cocoa, rubber, peanuts and soya beans. In
addition, poultry, goats, sheep and cattle are raised.
The leading mineral produced in Nigeria is petroleum, which can be found in the
Niger Delta, particularly in the bights of Benin and Biafra and on the Bakassi Peninsula
along the disputed area of the Cameroon–Nigeria border. The long military rule in
Nigeria made the country heavily dependent on export earnings from the petroleum
sector. This affected the agricultural sector, and farming became mainly at subsistence
level. However, with the advent of democratic rule under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,
major reform of the agricultural sector has been undertaken, and the sector is being
restored to its former importance. Nigeria is now ranked 19th in the world in terms of
farm output and ranks first in Africa.
Industries in Nigeria are mainly small-scale because long, corrupt military rule led to
the collapse of major industries. However, the present administration has done a lot to
revive these industries through the introduction of various reforms, including the
implementation of anti-corruption policies. These have enhanced Nigeria’s reputation
in the international community, and the country’s practical efforts to improve the
economy have resulted in some of its creditors being prepared to forego Nigeria’s
debts.
In spite of the present efforts, however, Nigeria’s economy is still largely inefficient,
an effect of the long period of military ‘misrule’. Nigeria was ranked 151st out of 177
countries in the United Nations Development Index in 2004. Human capital is highly
underdeveloped and unemployment is still very high (12 per cent in 2006).

Public sector training/human resource development policies,

strategies and infrastructures in Nigeria
In the pre-independence period, the primary interest of Nigeria’s colonial masters was
administration and the maintenance of law and order. The colonial regime’s human
resources development and utilization policy was therefore tailored towards the devel-
opment of indigenous personnel for these two purposes (Bur, 1992).
When Nigerians took over the reins of government in October 1960, the first thing
that became obvious was the need to develop indigenous people in all sectors of the
economy to carry out various programmes and pursue goals necessary to enhance the
welfare and security of Nigerians.
Against this background, government sought the assistance of the Institute of
Administration at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) to carry
out a survey of the training needs of the Federal Civil Service. The survey, conducted
by Professor C. P. Wolle, a senior consultant in public administration, noted that there
was an acute shortage of trained personnel in the administrative and professional
cadres of the service. He concluded that there was an urgent need for systematic and
regular programmes for the development of civil servants of all cadres (Ajileye, 1992).
Consequently, based on the Wolle report, a white paper was issued in 1969 entitled ‘A
statement of federal government policy on staff development in the federal public
service’. This constituted the government’s first formal, definitive guidance on person-
nel development in the Federal Civil Service (Bur, 1992).

Draft national policy on human resource development and utilization in Nigeria

What can be regarded as the first bold attempt at articulating a national policy on
training was the convening of a national conference on human resource development

Training and development in Nigeria 223

© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
and utilization policy in Nigeria at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria
(ASCON) in 1989. The main objective of the conference was the formulation of a draft
national policy. Consequently, the conference made the following recommendations,
among others:
1. The establishment of a central coordinating body to be known as the National
Human Resources Commission, which would be located in the Presidency and
charged with the responsibility of coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating
human resource development and utilization activities and programmes.
2. A minimum amount, equal to 20 per cent of personnel costs, should be set aside
annually to enable organizations to implement their training programmes.
3. The enabling decree relating to the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) (see below)
should be amended to contain a penalty clause for employers who indulge in the
practice of contributing to ITF but refusing to train their workers.
4. The development of the curricula of universities and polytechnics should be
undertaken in conjunction with employers of labour to ensure an effective perfor-
mance of the graduates of these institutions while in employment (Phillips, 1992).
In an appropriate reaction to the provisions of the draft national policy, the Office of
Management Services and Training in the Presidency issued a circular in 1990 entitled
‘Guidelines for training in the Federal Civil Service’. This set out a comprehensive
policy for training at all levels of the Federal Civil Service and remains in force.
The strategy adopted for human resource development and training in Nigeria has
been to establish institutions to articulate government policies, provide guidance on
their implementation and deliver programmes. The more important of these institu-
tions are set out in Appendix 1. Some of them are discussed below.

National Manpower Board (NMB)

The Ashby Commission in 1960 had identified the need for and recommended the
establishment of the NMB to give consideration to all aspects of manpower develop-
ment. The NMB was established in 1962 with the following objectives:
• to determine the nation’s manpower needs in all occupations;
• to coordinate the policies and activities of the Federal and Regional Ministries
primarily concerned with manpower problems; and
• to formulate manpower policies for the consideration of the government by means
of the expansion of university education, training and development and related
areas (Taire, 1992).

National Centre for Economic Management and Administration (NCEMA)

The NCEMA was established in 1986 as a training and policy research centre and has
the following responsibilities:
• to train planners, budget officers, policy analysts in the middle and senior man-
agement cadres of the public services; and
• to create and maintain a cadre of highly competent public officers that would be
responsive to the requirements of a results-oriented public service.
Specifically, the centre provides training for public officers in the areas of economic
planning, budgetary systems, economic policy formulation and the use of modern
computational facilities. In the manpower development and training history of Nigeria,
emphasis had always been laid on management courses and, with exceptions, little
attention had been paid to the training of planners, budget officers and policy analysts
in the middle and senior ranks of the public services (Taire, 1992). The NCEMA was to
provide the missing link, and its training activities have had a huge impact upon public
sector human resource development.

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© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
 Training and human resource development in the private sector
The private sector in Nigeria does not have an integrated training policy. Each company
operates its own policies based on its own training needs.
However, in order to reduce the country’s dependence on imported skills and
develop indigenous manpower, the Nigerian government established the ITF in 1971.
The principal aim was to force employers in the private sector to train their workers.
Also, some other institutions were established to provide guidelines for human
resource development (HRD) in the private sector. A number of these centres are
equally found useful by public sector employees. A description of some of these
training institutions is given below.

ITF
The Federal Government established the ITF as the first major manpower training and
development agency in the country. According to Decree 47 of 1971, the Fund was
established to ‘promote and encourage acquisition of skills in industry and commerce
with a view to generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower sufficient to meet the
needs of the economy’.
The ITF is funded through a training levy on employers with 25 or more employees
calculated at 1 per cent of their annual wage bill. Such employers are entitled to a
reimbursement of up to a maximum of 60 per cent of their annual expenditure on
approved on-the-job and off-the-job training of workers. The fund also received an
annual subvention from the Federal Government during the first few years of its
existence (Industrial Training Fund Information Brochure, 1998).
The ITF’s comprehensive policy on training was formulated in February 1973 in its
second policy statement. This covers, among other things, the following measures by
which the fund actively supports training in the economy:
• encouraging greater involvement of employers, particularly small employers, in
the organization and development of training programmes and facilities, includ-
ing the establishment of group training schemes and centres in a certain area of
economic activity;
• building of ITF training facilities in identified areas of national need;
• organizing research into training as support for other activities of the Fund;
• the establishment of a uniform national vocational and apprenticeship training
scheme in the country;
• seeking to harmonize ITF non-formal training programmes with the curriculum of
formal educational institutions;
• bearing a proportion of the direct costs of on-the-job and off-the-job training of
Nigerian employees; and
• appraising and approving training courses and facilities.
In addition to the above listed activities, the Fund gives support to management
education through its grants to the Centre for Management Development (CMD) – see
below – and the Nigerian Institute of Management. It also gives support to other
training and development associations such as the Nigerian Institute for Training and
Development (Tudun-Wada, 1992). As a manpower development agency, the ITF has
recorded impressive achievements.

CMD
The Nigerian Council for Management Development and Training, consisting of both
suppliers and users of management training, was established in the 1960s and was
reconstituted by the Federal Government in 1972. The council has the broad objectives
of co-coordinating, appraising and setting standards for management education in
Nigeria (Ojo, 1997). However, in 1992, a non-profit-making HRD organization known
as the CMD was established by the government as the operational arm of the council
(Tudun-Wada, 1992).

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© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
 The major objectives of the CMD are as follows:
1. to advise the government through the appropriate ministry on policies, plans and
programmes for the enhancement of the numbers, quality and effective utilization
of the managerial manpower resources of the country in all sectors of the economy;
2. to formulate policies and guidelines for the coordination of management education
and training activities throughout the country;
3. to develop and promote high national standards of management education, entre-
preneurial development and supervisory training;
4. to keep and maintain a register of management training institutions and their
training programmes;
5. to assess, from time to time, the training programmes offered by the institutions
mentioned in (4) above with a view to determining the competence of the institu-
tions and whether or not they deserve financial support by the council; and
6. to provide a forum at which representatives of the public and private sectors and
management training institutions can exchange information and ideas on trends in
management education and training.
In July 1981, under the Nigerian Council for Management Development (Amendment)
Act of 1981, the functions of the CMD and the council were modified to include the
following:
• to develop appropriate measures to accelerate the supply of managerial manpower
in the right number and quality that would ensure better management of govern-
ment agencies and private establishments;
• to carry out research into the nation’s management practices with a view to iden-
tifying the source and magnitude of the nation’s management problems as a base
for formulating appropriate measures to entirely eliminate or minimize such prob-
lems; and
• to create a research fund for carrying out appropriate research in the field of
management development.
In view of the fact that the centre implements over 40 short, intensive management
training programmes ranging between 1 day and 4 weeks annually (Tudun-Wada,
1992), it can be said that the CMD has performed relatively better than other institu-
tions established for similar purposes. It is important to note that the CMD caters for
the managerial training needs of both the public and the private sectors of the economy.
The CMD has had its own share of the reform activities of the present democratic
government in Nigeria. The mandate of the centre became enlarged when the Federal
Executive Council approved its merger with NCEMA. Consequently, the centre has
taken over the functions of NCEMA. In addition to the new mandates, the centre is also
mandated to take over the management development component of small firms
through the design and provision of suitable training packages for small business
proprietors and officials of federal/state agencies responsible for developing small
businesses in the economy.

Training and HRD in practice in Nigeria

The practice of training and development in Nigeria has been held back by unhelpful,
negative attitudes towards training and development. Some employers think that
training is a waste of financial resources. They believe that there are enough experi-
enced workers in the labour market who do not need any training. Some other employ-
ers reluctantly embrace training, engaging with it only infrequently and/or on a small
scale. Employees’ attitudes too are sometimes discouraging. This is because some
regard a period of training as a holiday or a time to have their share of the organiza-
tion’s ‘cake’. Hence, they hardly participate actively. Some employers send staff on
training courses either as a reward or as a punishment (Taire, 1992). It has also been
observed that training programmes are sometimes organized not with the purpose of

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equipping trainees with new knowledge and skills but for the ulterior motive of getting
enough funds from the ITF to share among those in charge of the training.
ASCON and other bodies such as the CMD and the ITF are continuously engaged in
commissioned workplace training but also have programmes that they make generally
available. Appendix 2 shows the activities of ASCON in 2005.
In general, it can be said that training is taken more seriously and is better funded in
the private sector. The private sector has contributed immensely to HRD in Nigeria.
Examples include individual corporate bodies, which train and develop their own
manpower (e.g. Lever Brothers, Leventis and Union Bank), employers’ associations
(e.g. Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association) and professional associations.
Some of the training efforts of corporate bodies date back to the pre-independence era.
For example, John Holt established an apprenticeship scheme and a training school in
the 1930s, whereas in 1954, what is now the United African Company of Nigeria
converted its apprenticeship training scheme into a technical training school.
The practice of HRD in Nigeria can be illustrated by describing what operates in a
major private sector organization. This is done in Appendix 3, which describes the
human resources development policy of Nestle Nigeria Plc.
Nevertheless, there is still much to be done to further enhance HRD generally in
Nigeria and particularly in the private sector because it is this sector that constitutes the
bedrock of sustainable development in any country.

Sources of information on training and development in Nigeria

The main sources of information on HRD in Nigeria include the following:
• the ITF;
• the Nigerian Institute for Training and Development; and
• the NMB.
In addition, professional institutes such as those established for banking, administra-
tion, transport, public relations, journalism, company secretaries, architects, directors
and management have become the rallying point for the setting of standards, regula-
tion of practices, advancement of opinions on national issues and determination of
training requirements for their respective fields. They have become the main sources of
information on HRD in Nigeria.

Academic correspondents in training and HRD in Nigeria

Academic research in training and development in Nigeria is still limited to individual
universities. However, the Nigerian Institute for Training and Development is begin-
ning to provide leadership in this direction. The Departments of Adult and Continuing
Education in the Universities of Ibadan, Ife, Lagos, Nsuka and elsewhere train students
and workers and also engage in academic research in training and HRD, some of which
is published in national and international journals.
The University of Ibadan, through the MacArthur Foundation, funds much research
in HRD. Further information on the extent of and opportunities for collaboration can
be obtained from the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) or by visiting
www.ui.edu.ng. In addition, a number of research programmes are coordinated by the
Nigerian Institute for Training and Development. More information can be obtained by
email: nitadnig@yahoo.com.

Conclusions
The programmes of government that have serious implications for employment are
education, training and development. Akanji (2006) suggests that Nigeria’s educational
programmes place too much emphasis on formal education to the detriment of basic
skills training. The recognition of this problem by stakeholders has made basic skills
training an issue in Nigeria. Federal and state governments now have programmes in

Training and development in Nigeria 227

© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
basic skills training in order to solve the problem of unemployment common among
young people, particularly school leavers. Examples include the Ogun State Employ-
ment Generation Programme, the Youth Empowerment Scheme and the Poverty Alle-
viation Programme. These programmes engage in basic skills training that increases
the chances of employability for young people.
In the context of dealing with the shortcomings in Nigeria’s training and develop-
ment, it is submitted that a number of reforms are necessary. First, private sector
participation in meeting the public policy objectives of human resource development
and utilization is, at best, passive. Therefore, in order to enhance the development and
utilization of human resources in Nigeria, active private sector participation in public
policies for training and employment programmes at federal, state and local govern-
ment levels should be encouraged.
Second, there is a need for a more effective link between university and polytechnic
curricula and the needs of industrial establishments in order to enhance the relevance
of the output of the higher education sector as well as improve human resources
utilization. The university–industry link, which underpins the technological advance-
ment of developed countries, should be incorporated into Nigeria’s public policy on
human resource development and utilization. Moreover, the facilities at the various
research and training institutes should be enlarged so that undergraduates and post-
graduates can have a minimum of 1 year compulsory internship training in order to
enhance their skills.
Furthermore, employers need to be encouraged to demonstrate more interest in and
commitment to the development of their employees. Training and development policy
and practice should respond not only to operational needs but also to the career
structures of employees. Employers should be obliged to provide employees with the
opportunity for a minimum number of days of occupation-specific, technical, profes-
sional and managerial training relevant to their work (Udo-Aka, 1992).
In addition, the activities of management consultants, who seem to be very dominant
in the training programmes of some organizations in both private and public sectors,
should be regulated. Many of these consultants appear to be organizing sub-standard
training (Maduabum, 2001).
Finally, adequate funds should be made available, particularly for public sector
training institutions. Inadequacy of funding has always been the factor that militates
against the efforts of Nigerian training institutions in conducting effective training
programmes.

References
Ajileye, I. A. (1992), ‘Effective Utilization and Control of HRD Consultants’, in A. Yahya and C. I.
Akinyele (eds), Human Resources Development and Utilization: Policies and Issues (Badagry,
Nigeria: ASCON HRD Series), pp. 116–27.
Akanji, T. A. (2006), ‘The Impact of Traditional Apprenticeship System on Occupational Skills
Acquisition for Self Employment. A Survey of Selected Trades in Ibadan City, Nigeria’, in E. E.
Ajala, R. A. Aderionye and S. O. Adedeji (eds), Education for the New Millennium (Ibadan,
Nigeria: Spectrum Publishers), in press.
Bur, A. (1992), ‘The Case for Human Resources Development and Utilization Policy for Nigeria’,
in A. Yahya and C. I. Akinyele (eds), Human Resources Development and Utilization (Badagry,
Nigeria: ASCON HRD Series), pp. 51–69.
Fasesin, D. O. (2005), ‘Industrial Experience and Applied Research: A Study of Nestle Nigeria
Plc’. A seminar paper presented at the Joint Academic and Undergraduate Students Seminar.
Department of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Lagos State University, Ojo,
Nigeria.
Industrial Training Fund Information Brochure (1998).
Maduabum, C. (2001), Capacity Building and Utilization in Nigeria (Lagos, Nigeria: Teitilords
Publishers Ltd.).
Nestle Nigeria Plc (2001), Employee Handbook (Lagos, Nigeria: Ramigious Enterprises).
Nigeria Population Commission (NPC) (1998), 1991 Population Census of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria (Analytical Report at the National Level) (Abuja, Nigeria: NPC).

228 International Journal of Training and Development

© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Ojo, F. (1997), Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice (Lagos, Nigeria: Allied Emant
Company).
Phillips, D. (1992), ‘Essentials of the 1988 Civil Service Reforms in Nigeria’, in A. Yahya and C. I.
Akinyele (eds), New Trends in Personnel Management: A Book of Reading (Badagry, Nigeria:
ASCON HRD Series), pp. 7–21.
Taire, A. A. (1992), ‘Strategies for Coordinating, Monitoring and Evaluating Human Resources
Development Agencies and Institutions in Nigeria with Special Focus on the Public Services’,
in A. Yahya and C. I. Akinyele (eds), Human Resources Development and Utilization: Policies and
Issues (Badagry, Nigeria: ASCON HRD Series), pp. 181–212.
Tudun-Wada, L. (1992), ‘Funding Human Resources Development Agencies, Institutions and
their Programmes: A Critical Approach’, in A. Yahya and C. I. Akinyele (eds), Human Resources
Development and Utilization: Policies and Issues (Badagry, Nigeria: ASCON HRD Series), pp.
230–54.
Udo-Aka, U. (1992), ‘HRD and Utilization Policies and Practices in Nigeria’, in A. Yahya and
C. I. Akinyele (eds), Human Resources Development and Utilization: Policies and Issues (Badagry,
Nigeria: ASCON HRD Series), pp. 70–97.
United Nations System in Nigeria (UNSN) (2001), Nigeria Common Country Assessment, March.
US Census Bureau, International Data Base (2005), April 2005.

Appendix 1: List of main training and HRD institutions

(i) Federal training centers at Lagos, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Ilorin, Enugu, and
Calabar.
(ii) The Industrial Training Fund, established in 1971.
(iii) The Center for Management Development, 1973.
(iv) The Nigerian Institute of Management, 1961.
(v) National Center for Economic Management and Administration, 1986.
(vi) Financial Institutions Training Center, 1982.
(vii) Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, 1973
(viii) The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, 1979.
(ix) Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, 1984.
(x) Chartered Institute of Bankers, 1963.
(xi) National Employers Consultative Association, 1957.
(xii) Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, 1965.
(xiii) Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, 1973.
(xiv) Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, 1963.
(xv) Maritime Academy of Nigeria, 1988.
(xvi) University-based Consultancy Unit which went into full operation in a few
universities in the late 1980s.

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 Appendix 2: Training programmes of the administrative staff college of Nigeria, 2005

S/N Duration Department Course title No. of Gender

participants
M F

1 5–8 March Public Adm. & Mgt Studies General Management Course 7 3 4
2 5–8 March Human Resource Mgt Studies Labour Management Relation Course 1 – 1
3 16–29 April Economic & Financial Mgt Studies Purchasing and Supplies Course 5 4 1
4 “ Computer Information & Technical Database Management Course 6 4 2
Management Studies
5 “ Economic & Financial Mgt Studies Programme Monitoring and Evaluation 5 5 –
Course
6 “ Economic & Financial Mgt Studies Advanced Financial Management 10 8 2
Course
7 “ Computer Information and Technical Advanced Records Management 7 3 4
Mgt Studies Course
8 “ Business Mgt Development Advanced Public Enterprise 4 2 2
Management Course
9 “ Legislative Studies Office Security Mgt Course 3 3 –

230 International Journal of Training and Development

10 “ Public Administration & Mgt Studies Advanced Mgt Course 69 47 22
11 28 May–16 June Business Mgt Development Public Enterprise Financial Mgt Course 3 2 1
12 “ Human Resource Mgt Studies Women in Management 5 – 5

© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

13 “ Economic and Financial Mgt Studies Financial Management Course 7 7 –
14 “ Computer Information and Technical Maintenance Management Course 2 2 –
Management Studies
15 “ Computer Information and Technical Use of Computer for Financial 8 8 –
Management Studies Management Course
16 “ Human Resource Management Studies Advanced Personal and Human 25 16 9
Resource Management Course
17 “ Legislative Studies Department Managing Conflict for Sustainable 2 2 –
Development
 18 “ Public Administration and General Management Course 55 34 21
Management Studies
19 9–22 July Computer Information and Technical Data Processing and Analysis: Using 4 4 –
Management Studies SPSS/PC
20 “ Economic and Financial Management Public Sector Auditing Course 7 5 2
Studies
21 “ Human Resource Management Studies Advanced Train – The Trainers Course 8 5 3
22 “ Business and Management Advanced Public Enterprises Financial 2 2 –
Mgt Course
23 “ Legislative Studies Introducing Course in Legislative 1 1 –
Management for Staff of the
National and State Assembly
24 “ Human Resource Mgt Studies Labour Mgt Relations Course 3 3 –
25 “ Economic and Financial Mgt Studies Advanced Course on Project 11 10 1
Management
26 “ Public Administration & Mgt Studies Advanced Management Course 50 31 19
27 20 Aug.–2 Sept. Computer Information and Technical Database Mgt Course 8 4 4
Mgt Studies
28 “ Economic & Financial Mgt Studies Financial Mgt Course 30 22 8
29 “ Economic & Financial Mgt Studies Purchasing and Supplies Mgt Course 8 6 2
30 “ Human Resource Mgt Course Women in Management 9 – 9
31 “ Computer Information and Technical Computer-based Mgt Information 13 9 4
Mgt Studies System Course
32 “ Business and Mgt Development Advanced Public Enterprises Mgt 4 3 1
Course
33 “ Economic and Financial Mgt Studies Course on Programme monitoring and 22 14 8
Evaluation
34 “ Computer Information & Technical Records Mgt Course 21 13 8
Mgt Studies
35 “ Public Adm. & Mgt Studies General Mgt Course 63 39 24
36 20 Aug.–2 Sept. Local Government Studies Accelerated and Sustainable Rural 2 2 –
Development

© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

37 1–14 October Computer Information & Technical Data Processing and Analysis Using 18 12 6
Mgt Studies SPSS/PC

Training and development in Nigeria 231

 Appendix 2: Continued

S/N Duration Department Course title No. of Gender

participants
M F

38 “ Computer Information & Technical Advanced Records Mgt Course 11 9 2

Mgt Studies
39 “ Human Resource Mgt Studies Labour Mgt Relations Course 2 2 –
40 “ Human Resource Mgt Studies Advanced Train – The Trainers Course 9 4 5
41 “ Economic & Financial Mgt Studies Advanced Financial Mgt Course 22 18 4
42 “ Legislative Studies Crime prevention and General 10 8 2
Security Mgt Course
43 “ Legislative Studies Maintenance/Works Mgt Course 3 3 –
44 “ Business & Mgt Devt Management Consulting Course 2 2 –
45 “ Public Adm. & Mgt Studies General Management Course 42 26 16
46 12–25 HRM Studies Advanced Personnel Human Resource 45 36 9
November Mgt Course
47 “ Public Adm. & Mgt Studies Performance Mgt Course 23 18 5
48 “ Economic & Financial Mgt Studies Public Sector Auditory Course 58 44 14

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49 “ Legislative Studies Preparatory Course in Legislative 1 – 1
Drafting
50 “ Legislative Studies Crime and General Security Mgt 3 3 –

© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Course
51 “ Legislative Studies Financial and Budgeting in Local 1 – 1
Government Course
Total 741
 Appendix 3: Training and HRD in Nestle Nigeria Plc
Nestle Nigeria Plc provides a model for the private sector in terms of a high level of
commitment to staff training.
The management of Nestle Nigeria Plc as a legal entity believes that training is one
of the means by which a new employee can adjust himself to his work environment
and by which the standard of performance of every employee can be raised (Nestle
Handbook, 2001). This belief, which is in line with Nestle’s general management and
leadership principles, led to the establishment of training centres in the three major
areas of operation of the company: the head office, the factory and the distribution
centre (Fasesin, 2005).
As part of a strategy for the implementation of its training policies, Nestle organizes
various types of training programmes. These include: on-the-job training, local or
overseas courses, job rotation, secondments and attachments. In addition, the company
encourages employees who want to improve their educational qualifications and pro-
fessional competence to do so while working for the company through the company’s
continuing education scheme. Under the continuing education/self development
scheme, the company reimburses 50 per cent of tuition and examination fees subject to
the ceiling established by management from time to time.
Apart from on-the-job training there are other courses that are provided, including
work ethics, time management, human relations, effective leadership and supervisory
skills. In addition, the company maintains contact with leading institutions such as ITF,
CMD, ASCON and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management throughout
Nigeria with a view to placing the company’s employees on various courses that these
institutions provide. The travel and accommodation expenses of employees attending
these courses are borne by the company.
The company gives educational financial assistance in the form of loans to any
employee in a permanent post who wishes to pursue a degree or diploma course that
is relevant and capable of enhancing the employee’s performance on the job. The
company also allows the use of its equipment for examination purposes by any
employee who is on a relevant course.

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© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.