CIPM urges focus on workforce value, productivity

Nigeria needs to place greater emphasis on the value and measurable impact of its workforce as organisations grapple with changing workplace demands and the need to improve productivity, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria said.

The President and Chairman of the Governing Council of CIPM, Ahmed Gobir, called on human resources professionals to move beyond measuring activities and focus on how people management contributes to business performance, productivity and growth.

“Organisations must increasingly assess success not by the volume of work performed, but by the difference that work makes to business performance, productivity and growth,” Gobir said at the opening of CIPM’s 58th International Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.

The conference, held under the theme “Repositioning for Value and Impact”, drew more than 4,000 in-person delegates and more than 1,000 virtual participants, including business leaders, policymakers, HR practitioners, academics and development experts.

The emphasis on measurable outcomes comes as employers and public institutions face a rapidly changing world of work, where technological advances, evolving workplace expectations and pressure for greater efficiency are reshaping how organisations manage and develop employees.

Workforce productivity and human capital development are closely linked to businesses’ and public institutions’ ability to expand output, improve services and support broader economic development.

Gobir said the 2026 conference builds on discussions from previous editions that examined resilience and the future of work but represents a further push to turn those conversations into tangible results.

“This year’s conference represents a call to translate ideas into outcomes and ensure that people management contributes meaningfully to organisational and national development,” he said.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, described the gathering as an important platform for addressing contemporary workplace challenges and advancing workforce development.

Dingyadi commended CIPM for bringing together practitioners, policymakers, employers, academics and other stakeholders to exchange ideas, share experiences and develop practical responses to issues affecting the world of work.

He also acknowledged the institute’s contribution to promoting ethical leadership, professional excellence and effective people management, while commending its leadership for sustaining the conference and maintaining professional standards in human resource management.

The focus on workforce development also featured in remarks from senior public officials at the conference.

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Head of Service of Lagos State, Bode Agoro, commended CIPM for its role in professionalising human resource management in the state and across Nigeria.

Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Tunji Olaopa, described CIPM as a professional body that has consistently worked to raise standards in people management and build the capacity of practitioners across the country.

Olaopa also reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with CIPM as a reform partner in the Nigerian Civil Service.

Representing the Chief of Army Staff, Brigadier General D.B. Suleiman said the conference theme was relevant to Nigeria’s development aspirations, stressing the importance of people to the performance of institutions.

He expressed confidence that the discussions would generate strategic responses to workforce challenges while supporting continuous learning and career development across sectors.

Rakiya Bosede Haastrup, who represented the President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, also highlighted the importance of developing people and promoting sound workplace practices, describing both as essential to national development.

Representing Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, the state’s Head of Service, Olanrewaju Saka, praised CIPM’s continued commitment to workforce development and human capital advancement.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, represented by Ishiyaku Mohammed, Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office, similarly stressed the importance of aligning people strategies with clearly defined outcomes and measurable value.

The convergence of those messages at the conference reflects a broader shift in the role of human resource management from an administrative function towards a more strategic part of organisational decision-making.

For employers, the challenge is increasingly to demonstrate how investments in recruitment, training, leadership and employee development translate into higher productivity and stronger institutional performance.

CIPM’s conference is bringing those issues together as organisations across the public and private sectors reassess the skills, leadership and workplace practices needed to respond to economic and technological change.

The institute says its focus on outcomes, innovation and strategic leadership is intended to strengthen the contribution of people management to organisational performance and Nigeria’s wider development.