The United Nations Development Programme on Tuesday released its 2016 Global Human Development Index report, with Nigeria ranked low at 152nd out of the 188 countries surveyed.

The 2016 Human Development Report focuses on those communities that have been left behind, despite development progress over the last 25 years. It recognises that in most countries, certain groups remain acutely disadvantaged. These groups, according to the report, include women and girls, rural communities, and persons with disabilities.

The report, which was released in Abuja, saw the country retaining its 152nd position, which it occupied last year, with a human development index of 0.527 out of the possible index figure of one.

The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the government was mindful of the fact that it needed to do more to move the country from its current position.

“We will also strive to ensure that the disadvantaged communities receive the extra support they need. [The] government is striving to ensure that human development progress is more resilient to shocks, such as epidemics, economic challenges and conflicts.

“This is being done through the development and implementation of sound policies and through social investment programmes,” she stated.

Ahmed called on the UNDP to assist the government by coming up with innovative ideas that would help the country improve its ranking on the index.

The Economic Adviser, Nigeria and ECOWAS, UNDP, Dr Ojijo Odhiambo, said that despite Nigeria’s 152nd ranking, the country recorded some improvement in the number of points that made up the index.

He said the reason why Nigeria retained its position was because as the country was making progress, other countries were also improving on their indices.

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