President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has called on fellow African leaders to invest more in youth and skills development to accelerate Human Capital Development to achieve African Agenda 2063.
Addressing delegates at Africa Human Capital Heads of State Summit in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, President Chakwera said channeling more resources to the youth and skills development will widen economic opportunities which will in turn make the agenda 2063 possible.
African leaders must demonstrate that youth have a potential and that their country is a place where they can live in and work for better future by concentrating on programmes that will make them realise their full potential, Said the President.
Chakwera said his government, will invest between 15 and 20 percent of national budget to ministries such as Education, Health, Labour and Youth, as a way of ensuring that the youth realise their potential, skills and contribute positively to agenda 2063.
My administration will also invest more in food security and Job creation through promoting of technical and vocational skills as one way of promoting human capital, Chakwera said at the world bank funded summit.
In her opening remarks Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan also called on fellow African leaders, and development partners to accelerate investments in learning, health, and skills, to secure the productivity of the region’s people as its greatest asset.
“It is time to change our approach on human capital from being mere expenditures to productive investments that are high GDP contributors, she said.
World Bank Regional Vice President for eastern and central Africa, Victoria Kwakwa said the meeting is important as African countries will be able to discuss how to take on board human capital for economic acceleration.
“Without eliminating human capital crisis successfully, African countries risk to be in trapped in stagnant economic growth as there will be more unhealthy, uneducated and unskilled youth. There is need for political will and commitment to make human capital the cornerstone of development. She advised.
Kwakwa said the summit will allow the nations to share ideas on what can be done to accelerate human capital.
She then assured African leaders that World Bank being a development partner will continue providing support to the African countries to achieve its agenda 2063.
Reported By Robert Nayeja
