Fri, 30 Jun 2017 11:00:45 +0000
By AARON CHIYANZO
AFRICA needs to start adding value to human capital through an education system that provides every child with the skills to realise their full potential, says Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
And President Akufo-Addo has says Africa’s problems were largely as a result of the failure of leaders and that all must admit the fact.
The Ghanaian leader said this when he officially opened the 53rd Zambia International Trade Fair in Ndola yesterday, which is being held under the theme “Innovation for industrialisation”.
President Akufo-Addo emphasized that Africa needed a confident and educated workforce to be able to compete effectively in the global market.
He reiterated that for African countries, including Zambia, to compete on the global community, there was need to build knowledge-based human resource.
President Akufo-Addo pointed out that a knowledge-based human resource tallied with proper value addition to raw materials.
“Without value addition there will be no creation of jobs and wealth. It’s been six decades since our countries attained independence but we still have problems. Most of these problems can be attributed to colonialism but we must admit that many of these problems are as a result of us leaders. Africa needs above all to start adding value to human capital,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo however advised that countries should treat problems as an opportunity to come up with solutions.
And President Akufo- Addo called for the recognition of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as the drivers of the economy.
He emphasized that SMEs should be supported if the economy of the country was to flourish and create jobs for the people.
He explained that SMEs were the core of productivity and that they support livelihoods in communities.
“Everything relies on industrialization and adding value to human capital and raw materials. My Government builds at least one industry in each district annually,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo challenged that in as much as ZITF was gaining popularity and increasing number of participants every year, an increase in display on local products was imperative.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has left the country at the end of his four-day working visit.
The Head of State was seen off in Ndola by President Edgar Lungu, Commerce minister Margaret Mwanakatwe, Copperbelt minister Bowman Lusambo and other senior Government officials.
Meanwhile, the Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) board chairperson Monde Kabwela disclosed that it had recorded a 30 percent increase in the number of participants, from 450 last year to over 600 participants this year.
Ms Kabwela said that the increase in the number of participants was encouraging Ms Kabwela attributed the increase in the number of participants in this year’s event to the sound trade policies under the patriotic front government.
She however said that there was need to improve infrastructure for ZITF to compete with other global trade events, and attract more international participants.
She commended Government’s efforts in improving infrastructure and constructing new modern infrastructure in Ndola, adding that it would contribute to increased international participation.
