The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called on Human Resources (HR) professionals to be more involved since they can no longer afford to remain on the sidelines as technological disruption continues to reshape workplaces, industries, and economies.
Sanwo-Olu, who gave the charge at the Special Human Resource Forum (SHRF) 2026, organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), in Lagos, noted that the future of work requires organisations to anticipate emerging skills and prepare their workforce accordingly.
“HR personnel cannot take the back seat. You really need to know what skills your staff require and where the future of work is going,” he added.
The governor commended the institute for its growing impact on workforce development in Nigeria, noting that many Lagos State civil servants had benefited from the institute’s professional development programmes and certifications over the years.
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Sanwo-Olu also applauded the ‘consistent level of competencies’ that the institute had developed in the system, particularly how such competencies had helped those in the public sector space.
He expressed the delight that one of the pillars of the state’s long-term development strategy, which is to position it as a leading centre for human capital development globally, aligns closely with the institute’s mission of advancing people management excellence and professional development.
“I am truly proud of the growth I have seen over the last decade. I am one of your quiet cheerleaders. I will do everything to ensure that the institute takes its rightful place among other professional institutes in the country,” he said.
In his remarks, the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the institute, Mallam Ahmed Ladan Gobir, challenged HR professionals to take the lead in ensuring that Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes a tool for inclusive growth rather than a driver of inequality.
Mallam Gobir, while speaking on the theme ‘People, Policy and Performance in the Age of AI: HR Leadership for Economic Transformation and Poverty Reduction,’ argued that the future impact of AI would depend less on technology, but more on the quality of leadership and people-focused policies guiding its adoption.
“History will not remember us for how quickly we adopted AI. History will remember us for whether AI improved the lives of our people, whether it created jobs or displaced livelihoods, and whether it reduced poverty or widened inequality,” he said.
In his keynote presentation, global AI and leadership expert, Erica Farmer, urged organisations to put people at the centre of their AI strategies, warning that technology alone would not guarantee economic growth or social progress.
Farmer described AI as “mass intelligence” rather than conventional technology, noting that its transformative potential depends largely on how organisations deploy it and how leaders prepare their people for change.
While citing projections that AI could contribute as much as $1 trillion to Africa’s GDP by 2035, she noted that such gains would only be realised through intentional investments in skills, leadership and workforce adaptation.
“Potential doesn’t automatically equal prosperity. We need to take people on that journey, and this is the defining moment for HR,” she said.
Farmer maintained that HR leaders must play a central role in shaping organisational responses to AI, describing them as the professionals best positioned to guide workforce transformation and help leaders make better decisions.