Prof Zuchamo Yanthan
IGNOU, New Delhi
What is Nagaland’s greatest resource? Is it our land, forests, natural resources, or infrastructure? While these are important assets, I believe our greatest resource lies within our people.
Nagaland has a generation of educated youth, talented individuals, creative minds, and people with aspirations and dreams. Yet, the real question is not simply how many educated people we have, but what they can achieve when equipped with the right skills, meaningful opportunities, and adequate support.
A degree can provide knowledge, but knowledge must be translated into skills and capabilities to make a meaningful difference. When people learn to apply what they know, they become better equipped to solve problems, build enterprises, create livelihoods, and contribute to society.
This is why Nagaland needs to refocus its approach to human capital development. We must look beyond educational qualifications and employment figures and ask a more fundamental question: Are we preparing our people merely to seek jobs, or are we equipping them to create value, solve problems, build enterprises, and open opportunities for others?
The challenge before us is to move beyond viewing human capital simply as an economic resource and recognise the wider possibilities that emerge when people’s knowledge, creativity, talents, and capabilities are nurtured.
Ultimately, Nagaland must move beyond producing degree holders towards developing capable, confident, and creative individuals, beyond preparing job seekers towards nurturing opportunity creators, and beyond counting human capital towards unlocking human possibility. Our future will depend not only on the resources we possess, but also on what our people are empowered to become and what they can create for their communities and the state.
If our people are our greatest resource, the next question is: how can we turn human capital into human possibility? We often speak of human capital in terms of education, skills, and knowledge. But people are not merely resources to be used for development, they are the very people who can create development. A young Naga is not simply a future job seeker. A farmer is not merely a producer, an artisan is not just a maker, and a musician is not merely an entertainer. Each person carries ideas, aspirations, knowledge, skills, and the potential to contribute something meaningful to society. Therefore, the question is not only, "What can the economy do with our people?" It is also, "What can our people do for themselves, their communities, and Nagaland?" This calls for a shift in how we understand education, employment, and development. Education must do more than award qualifications. It must equip people to turn knowledge into skills, skills into opportunities, and opportunities into enterprises and livelihoods. That is how human capital begins to translate into human possibility, and how human possibility becomes the foundation of lasting development.
On the question of educated yet unemployed or underutilised Youth in the state. One of Nagaland’s pressing challenges is the gap between educational attainment and meaningful opportunities. The state has educated young people with qualifications, talent, and ambition, but are there enough avenues for them to use their abilities and realise their potential?
Education has expanded, but opportunities have not necessarily grown at the same pace. For generations, many young people have followed a familiar path i.e. study hard, obtain a degree, and secure a government job. We have been mentally conditioned to find security only in a government job and have never been guided on how to create job opportunities. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to a government job. Employment provides income, stability, dignity, and security. However, we must also recognise that no government can provide a job for everyone.
We therefore need to broaden our thinking about work and opportunity. Instead of asking only, "Where is the job?", we must also ask, "Where is the opportunity?" And, more importantly, "What opportunity can I create?" This shift in our mindset is essential for the future of our state. It encourages young people to look beyond vacancies and consider how their knowledge, skills, and interests can address real needs in society.
Nagaland’s future cannot be built on educational qualifications alone. It will be built when educated people become capable individuals, when capable individuals turn ideas into action, and when their efforts create opportunities for others. The challenge is not simply to educate more people, but to ensure that education translates into capability, productivity, and meaningful participation in development.
As we refocus human capital development, we must ask ourselves a fundamental question: Are we preparing our young people for the world they are entering, or for a world that is rapidly disappearing? Artificial intelligence, automation, remote work, and climate change are transforming how we live and work. Our education system must respond to these changes without losing sight of the human values, social responsibilities, and critical thinking that education should nurture.
Education must do more than prepare students for existing jobs. It must develop critical thinkers, problem-solvers, innovators, and responsible citizens who can adapt, create, and lead. For Nagaland, this means connecting classroom learning with real-life experiences through internships, apprenticeships, practical projects, digital skills, entrepreneurship, and hands-on learning. Students should have opportunities to apply their knowledge to the challenges facing their communities.
Imagine a young person graduating not only with a degree, but also with the confidence and skills to solve a problem in their village, develop a local product, establish an enterprise, or offer a service to clients anywhere in the world. Imagine every educational institution becoming a centre of innovation, creativity, and local development.
Education should not simply prepare our youth to leave Nagaland in search of opportunities. It should also equip them to create opportunities at home. Young people must have the skills, confidence, and support to build meaningful lives and contribute to their communities. That is when education becomes more than a qualification. It becomes a pathway to opportunity, dignity, and lasting development.
In today’s rapidly changing world, Nagaland needs to rethink and broaden its understanding of entrepreneurship. It is often seen simply as starting a business or establishing a company. While these are important, entrepreneurship is much more than running a business; it is a mindset, a skill, and the ability to turn possibilities into reality. At its core, entrepreneurship means recognising opportunities where others see challenges, finding solutions to existing problems, creating value from available resources, and transforming ideas into meaningful action.
It is a way of thinking that can be applied across disciplines and professions. A farmer who develops a better way to process local produce is demonstrating entrepreneurship. A teacher who creates an innovative learning resource, a young person who develops a digital service, and an artisan who finds new markets for traditional products are also creating value through initiative and innovation. When we understand entrepreneurship in this broader sense, we encourage young people to recognise possibilities within their own interests, skills, and communities instead of waiting for opportunities to arrive. Our educational institutions must therefore teach young people not only how to compete for jobs, but also how to build livelihoods, develop ideas, and respond creatively to real-world challenges. Colleges should become more than places where degrees are awarded. They should nurture confidence, creativity, practical skills, and the courage to take initiative. Nagaland needs an entrepreneurial mindset that encourages people to move from waiting to acting, from ideas to solutions, and from individual capability to opportunities that benefit others. The future will be shaped not only by those who find their place in the world, but also by those who have the courage and capacity to create something new.
If our people are our greatest resource, we must ask another important question, i.e., what opportunities can we create from the strengths we already possess? Nagaland does not need to become another state. It needs to discover what works best for its own people, circumstances, and aspirations. Our culture, traditional foods, bamboo, honey, handicrafts, textiles, music, forests, biodiversity, and indigenous knowledge are not merely parts of our heritage. They can become sources of livelihoods, enterprise, and prosperity.
The challenge is to connect these strengths with modern skills, technology, design, branding, and markets. Instead of selling only raw agricultural produce, our young people can explore processing, packaging, branding, and marketing. Bamboo, honey, horticultural products, spices, and indigenous foods can create greater value when local producers are supported to develop quality products and reach wider markets.
Our cultural heritage also offers opportunities. Traditional textiles, crafts, music, and food can connect with contemporary design, digital platforms, and wider consumer markets. Preserving our identity and creating economic opportunities need not be competing goals; they can reinforce each other. Tourism, too, must create meaningful opportunities for local people. Homestays, community-based tourism, local guides, farmers, artisans, and musicians should be able to participate in and benefit from the tourism economy.
At the same time, our young people must be encouraged to build indigenous enterprises. Outside investment, technology, expertise, and partnerships can contribute to development, but local people must also have the opportunity to become owners, innovators, and value creators. Our goal should not be to abandon our identity, but to turn it into an advantage; not merely to consume what others create, but to develop products, services, and ideas that others value. Nagaland’s future may already lie within its people, land, culture, and creativity. What is needed is the vision, skills, support, and initiative to unlock that potential.
Another important question Nagaland must consider is whether migration can become a source of strength rather than simply a loss of talent. Young people leave Nagaland for education, employment, experience, and opportunities. We must recognise this reality without viewing every departure as a setback. Instead of asking only, "How do we stop our young people from leaving?", we should ask, "How can we ensure that Nagaland continues to benefit from what our young people learn, experience, and achieve wherever they go?"
Our young people should have the freedom to explore the world, develop skills, build professional networks, and pursue meaningful opportunities. At the same time, we must create ways for them to remain connected with home. Their knowledge, experience, investments, ideas, and professional networks can support local businesses, mentor aspiring entrepreneurs, strengthen educational institutions, and connect local products with wider markets.
This requires us to move from the migration of talent towards the circulation of talent. The aim is not to restrict movement, but to build meaningful connections between those who leave and the communities to which they can continue to contribute. Nagaland grows stronger when its people can learn from the world and bring that learning back to their own land, whether through direct involvement, mentoring, investment, collaboration, or the exchange of knowledge.
To unlock the potential of Nagaland’s educated youth, the government must take this challenge seriously and strategically, creating an environment where education leads to opportunity, enterprise, and meaningful development. The state government has a crucial role to play, but that role must extend beyond being an employer. Government cannot provide a job for everyone or run every business. Its greatest responsibility is to create conditions in which people can develop their capabilities, pursue ideas, establish enterprises, and contribute to development. This requires effective policies, simpler procedures, access to finance, reliable digital connectivity, infrastructure, skills development, incubation, research, mentorship, and connections to markets.
But announcing schemes is not enough. We must also ask whether people can actually access the opportunities these schemes are intended to create. Can a young person in a remote village obtain information and guidance? Can a first-generation entrepreneur access mentorship and financial support? Can a woman develop a business and reach new markets? Can someone with a promising idea find the technology, training, and networks needed to turn it into reality? These are the questions that should guide our approach to development.
Government programmes must be accessible, responsive, and measured by their outcomes. Success should not be judged only by the number of schemes announced or people enrolled in training programmes, but also by the opportunities created, enterprises established, livelihoods strengthened, and lives improved. The goal must be to build an ecosystem in which people can create opportunities for themselves and others.
Furthermore, human capital development in Nagaland cannot be completed without recognising and empowering women. From farming and entrepreneurship to education, leadership, and the preservation of traditional knowledge, Naga women are vital contributors to our families, communities, and economy. Yet, many women continue to face barriers in accessing finance, markets, technology, training, mobility, property, professional networks, and decision-making spaces. These barriers limit not only individual potential but also the development possibilities of the state.
We cannot fully unlock Nagaland’s human potential while leaving the abilities and aspirations of so many women underutilised. Women must have greater access to education, enterprise support, digital skills, leadership opportunities, and the resources needed to turn their ideas into viable livelihoods. Their participation must extend beyond being beneficiaries of development to becoming decision-makers, innovators, and creators of economic and social value. When women are empowered to develop their capabilities, the benefits extend beyond individuals. Families gain greater economic security, communities become more resilient, and local economies gain from a wider pool of talent and enterprise. Empowering women is therefore not simply a question of equality. It is an essential investment in Nagaland’s human potential and long-term development.
Unfortunately, in Nagaland, a government job is often regarded as the ultimate measure of success. It is time we broaden this understanding and recognise that success is not defined by a job title, an office, or the city in which we work, but by our ability to build a meaningful, productive, and dignified life. A young person who builds a thriving farm is successful. A woman who grows her own enterprise is successful. An artisan who takes Naga products to national and international markets is successful. A young person who works online for clients across the world, a researcher who solves local problems, a teacher who shapes young minds, and an entrepreneur who creates opportunities for others are equally successful. What matters is not where we work or what position we hold, but the value we create, the lives we improve, and the opportunities we build for ourselves and others.
No honest work is small, and no meaningful contribution should go unrecognised. We must learn to respect farming, craftsmanship, skilled trades, business, research, innovation, and community service. Our young people should feel encouraged to pursue different paths according to their abilities and aspirations, rather than being made to feel that only a few professions deserve respect. Instead of judging people by their job titles or workplaces, let us ask three simple questions: What are they creating? What problems are they solving? What opportunities are they opening for others? A society progresses when it respects every honest profession, recognises talent in all its forms, and gives people the dignity and opportunity to succeed. For Nagaland, broadening our definition of success is an important step towards building a culture that values initiative, productivity, creativity, and contribution alongside educational qualifications and employment status.
While education, skills, entrepreneurship, and effective policies are essential for development, human development must also address the social and emotional well-being of our people. Years of conflict, division, fear, and unspoken pain can leave communities exhausted, weaken relationships, and erode the trust and confidence needed for collective progress. Economic programmes alone cannot overcome these deeper challenges.
Therefore, Nagaland’s development must go beyond economic growth to include honest conversations, empathy, reconciliation, and a collective commitment to rebuilding trust. Families, churches, schools, communities, and traditional institutions all have important roles to play in creating an environment where young people feel a sense of belonging, receive encouragement, build confidence, and grow with hope for the future. Social and spiritual healing does not mean escaping our problems or forgetting our past; it means finding the courage to confront our challenges, learning from our experiences, restoring broken relationships, and moving forward with greater understanding and renewed hope. Only when we strengthen both our human capabilities and our human relationships can we build a more confident, united, and resilient Nagaland.
We must learn to move from bitterness towards reconciliation, from despair towards hope, and from division towards cooperation. Development requires people who believe in their own abilities and in the possibility of working together for a better future. When communities rebuild trust, and young people find encouragement and a sense of belonging, they are better positioned to participate in collective progress. Our human potential cannot be fully realised through economic measures alone. It also depends on the confidence, relationships, and shared hope that enable people to turn their aspirations into action.
Most importantly, if Nagaland is serious about refocusing human capital development, we must focus not only on what young people know, but also on how they think. Our schools, colleges, and universities should be places where students can ask questions, exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, listen to others, and develop independent judgement. We need more debates, discussion forums, student parliaments, research projects, and open conversations on issues that matter to Nagaland, including unemployment, entrepreneurship, migration, education, technology, culture, climate change, and governance.
A student who only memorises information may be able to reproduce answers in an examination. But a student who learns to think critically, ask questions, and find solutions is better equipped to become a problem-solver, innovator, and opportunity creator. Discussion is not a distraction from education; it is an important part of it. It builds confidence, communication skills, leadership, creativity, and the ability to consider different perspectives. It also teaches young people to disagree respectfully and engage constructively with people whose views differ from their own. Nagaland must move from a culture of memorising answers towards a culture of exploring questions. Our classrooms should not produce young people who are afraid to question. They should nurture individuals who dare to ask, "Why?", "Why not?", and "What can we do differently?" These abilities are particularly important in a world where information is readily available, technology is changing rapidly, and many of tomorrow’s challenges will require solutions that do not yet exist. Human capital is not simply about having qualified people. It is about developing people who can think independently, respond creatively, solve problems, and contribute meaningfully to society.
If we want to make our people Nagaland’s greatest strength, we must move beyond good intentions and translate our vision into practical, measurable action.
First, connect education with real-life experience. Educational institutions should expand opportunities for internships, apprenticeships, community projects, digital skills, and entrepreneurship. Students should graduate with not only certificates but also practical experience, confidence, and the ability to apply what they have learned.
Second, make enterprise support accessible in every district. Within the next two years, every district should have an accessible enterprise support centre offering mentorship, financial guidance, digital support, and market information, particularly for first-generation entrepreneurs, women, and rural youth.
Third, build enterprises around Nagaland’s existing strengths. Agriculture, horticulture, bamboo, handicrafts, indigenous foods, tourism, music, culture, and digital services offer opportunities to connect local skills with wider markets. These opportunities need appropriate training, technology, infrastructure, and business support.
Fourth, turn migration into an advantage. Nagas studying and working outside the state can be connected with young people at home through mentoring, investment, knowledge exchange, professional networks, and market linkages.
Fifth, bring innovation closer to communities. Young people should not have to leave their villages simply to access basic training, digital resources, mentorship, and enterprise support. Local institutions and district-level networks can help bridge this gap.
Sixth, strengthen local enterprise while welcoming wider partnerships. Local entrepreneurs need fair opportunities to develop their businesses and reach markets. Outside investment, expertise, and technology should be welcomed in ways that also strengthen local capabilities and participation.
Seventh, measure outcomes, not just activities. We should look beyond the number of people trained to ask how many have found meaningful work, established enterprises, created employment, improved their livelihoods, or reached new markets.
Eighth, give young people more opportunities to think, question, and participate. Debates, discussion forums, student parliaments, research initiatives, and public conversations can nurture the critical thinkers and problem-solvers Nagaland needs.
Finally, government, educational institutions, businesses, community organisations, and citizens must work together to create an environment in which people can develop their capabilities and turn ideas into opportunities. The real measure of progress is not simply how many programmes we introduce, but how many people are able to build better lives because of them. That is how we move from training people to transforming lives, and from human capital to human possibility.
In conclusion, let me return to where I began. Nagaland’s greatest resource is not beneath our soil. It is within our people. Our colleges must nurture innovators, our young people must be encouraged to build enterprises, our women must have equal opportunities to lead and create, and our government must help build an environment in which talent can thrive.
The time has come to ask not only, "Where will our youth find jobs?" but also, "What opportunities can our youth create?" We must recognise that meaningful work takes many forms, that our local strengths can become sources of prosperity, and that our people can contribute to Nagaland’s development whether they remain at home or gain experience elsewhere.
Let us not wait for others to build Nagaland. Let us create the conditions in which our own people can shape its future. Policies and programmes matter, but their success ultimately depends on whether they enable people to use their abilities, pursue their aspirations, and create opportunities for others. Our task is to move from degrees to skills, from skills to capabilities, from capabilities to opportunities, and from opportunities to enterprises, livelihoods, and development.
Nagaland’s future will be shaped by the potential of its people, the courage of its youth, the contribution of its women, the wisdom of our communities, and the choices we make today. Let us turn human potential into human progress and make Nagaland not merely a land of dreams, but a land where people have the opportunity, confidence, and support to turn those dreams into reality.
(This article is adapted from the keynote address delivered at the 3rd Nagaland Economic Association Conference Cum International Seminar held at Kohima College on October 16, 2026)
