A Gender Analysis of The Effects of Human Capital Development on Economic Growth in Nigeria

Abstract

The study analyzed the differential effects of male and female human capital development on economic growth in Nigeria between the periods of 1981 to 2014.  Descriptive and Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method of analysis were employed using annual secondary data for the period 1981 to 2014. Human capital using education and health indicators were employed. Education was measured using gender disaggregated enrollment rate at secondary school and tertiary level to capture adult literacy rate, while health was proxy by gender disaggregated survival rate, and economic growth was measured by gross domestic product per-capita. The findings from the study show that the trend in literacy rate and adult survival rate among male and female has improved during the period under review. Despite the improvements, national goals and objectives for sustainable development in these areas are yet to be met. Further results from the ARDL analysis shows that different levels of male and female school enrolment will affect the economy differently; specifically, male secondary school enrollment rate and female tertiary enrollment rate have a significant positive effects on economic growth both in short-run and long-run. While both female secondary school enrollment rate and male tertiary enrollment rate have a significant negative effects on economic growth both in short-run and long-run. The results for both male survival rate and female survival rate show positive but insignificant effects on economic growth both in short-run and long-run. The study therefore, concludes by suggesting that human capital investment in both the education and health care sectors should be developed in terms of infrastructure in order to produce quality manpower for sustainable development. In addition, policies in these sectors should be designed specially to cater for the specific needs of both the male and female gender.  And lastly, the Nigerian education system be restructured to be more practical oriented.