Stakeholders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and global development partners met in Accra to discuss ways to accelerate human capital development (HCD) across the region.
HCD refers to the process of strengthening and improving an individual’s skills, knowledge, abilities, and overall potential as a productive member of a society, country, or organization.
At the top of the agenda for the three-day HCD Technical Conference, which opened yesterday, is a review of progress to date in the development and implementation of the ECOWAS HCD Strategy endorsed by regional leaders in 2021.
The HCD strategy aims to make ECOWAS the top HCD performer in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, with a focus on health, education, skills, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and the digital economy .
ECOWAS Commission Vice-President Damtien Chinchivilla said the region’s vision is to harness the potential of its growing youth population by putting people at the center of development efforts.
He said significant progress had been made in supporting Member States to develop national HCD strategies, with some countries having completed their strategies and others in progress.
He said that despite challenges such as instability, insecurity and climate change, ECOWAS remains determined to strengthen efforts to implement HCD through increased resource allocation, regional coordination and multi-stakeholder cooperation. said.
This is because the success of the HCD is expected to drive growth, stability and socio-economic inclusion in the region and accelerate progress on national development goals across the ECOWAS community, she said.
World Bank Country Director Robert O’Brien highlighted the immense potential of West Africa’s rapidly growing young population, which is projected to outstrip the workforce of China and India by 2040.
However, harnessing this demographic dividend will require significant human capital development, as countries in the region face challenges such as poor quality of education, malnutrition, and disparities in health care access and outcomes. Investment is needed, he said.
Charlotte Lejeune, President of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, spoke of the Foundation’s commitment to helping communities address the challenges of HCD.