Influence Of Globalization On Human Resource Development In Nigeria

The paper addressed the influence of Globalization on human resource development in Nigeria. It traced the origin of human resource development in Nigeria to the coming of the missionaries who spiritually colonized Africa and also educated their adherents. The human resource produced from the education offered were mainly evangelical teachers, as the curriculum comprised mainly of reading, writing, arithmetic and singing. This situation continued upto 1882 when there was state intervention in education which led to the education ordinances of 1882 and 1887. The National Policy on Education of 1981 introduced a new impetus in education vis a vis human resource development. It was seen as a panacea for the training of marketable, self employed individuals in technical and vocational education. The positive influences of globalization on human resource development in Nigeria include; international transfer of curricular among nation states, shaping of policies for the production of human resources especially in the area of delocalization of human resources, growth in the trans-national corporate presence in human resource development, international transfer of technology. The Negative influences include; neocolonization attitude of developed nations especially by using markets in developing world as dumping grounds for untreated factory waste, dependence by developing nations on imported technology, one sided flow of technology - only from the developed nations, brain drain in the health and education sectors of the economy, importation of worst practices of human resource management. In conclusion, the benefits of Globalization can only be reaped with proper educational, human resource planning based on the cost benefit analysis of education. Otherwise globalization would be regarded as neo-colonialism, imperialism or another instrument for underdeveloping Nigeria and Africa. Keywords: Globalization, human resource developmentJournal of Technology and Education in Nigeria Vol. 10 (1) 2005: pp. 27-31