HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT COST AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM ZENITH BANK PLC

The study examined human capital development cost and financial performance of Nigeria’s commercial bank: empirical evidence of Zenith Bank Plc. Ex-post facto research designs. Secondary methods of data collection were used in gathering relevant data for this research work. Secondary source was the use of financial summary from Zenith Bank Plc2014-2023. The researcher adopted longitudinal trend survey method using ex-post facto model. Data were collected, coded and analyzed using simple linear regression to test hypothesis and simple percentages and frequency tables were used to analyze the responses from respondents. The result revealed that there is a significant influence of human capital development cost on performance of Nigeria’s commercial bank. It was recommended that management of banking institution should conduct a comparative analysis of human capital development cost and financial performance among various categories of deposit money banks in Nigeria, such as local vs. international banks, or large vs. small banks. Investigate the specific types of training programs and development initiatives that have the most significant impact on employee performance and, subsequently, on the financial performance of banks. Perform longitudinal studies to assess the long-term effects of human capital development cost on the financial performance of Nigerian banks over time, analyzing whether short-term investments yield sustainable financial improvements. Analyze human capital development cost and financial performance in different sectors within the banking industry, such as retail banking, corporate banking, and investment banking, to identify sector-specific trends and implications.