Tanzanian president calls on African leaders to invest in human capital development

DAR ES SALAAM, (Xinhua) — Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday urged fellow African leaders to join forces in investing in the development of human capital.

“The time is now, and it is possible to invest in human capital by joining forces,” said Hassan when she officially opened the Africa Human Capital Heads of State Summit in Dar es Salaam, the economic hub of Tanzania. The summit was hosted by Tanzania in partnership with the World Bank.

Hassan cautioned that Africa’s rapidly growing working-age population could be a boon if the youth were equipped with the health, education and skills they need to achieve their full potential and contribute to the development of the region.

“On the other side of the coin, the growing working-age population could be a time bomb if it was left unsupported,” she told the summit attended by more than 2,000 delegates from 44 African countries, including eight heads of state and government, vice presidents, prime ministers and ministers.

Hassan mentioned the measures Tanzania was taking to develop human capital, including giving free education, transforming the education curriculum, improving health services, fighting poverty and engaging the youth in agriculture.

Victoria Kwakwa, the World Bank’s vice president for Eastern and Southern Africa, said Africa’s economic transformation hinges on the skills of its workforce and its ability to accelerate job creation.

Kwakwa said solutions to Africa’s development challenges will come from healthy, skilled and innovative people who can shape and execute effective responses to climate change and food insecurity.

“Let us seize this opportunity to invest in our youth, transform our continent, and build a brighter and more prosperous future for all Africans,” she told the summit themed “Accelerating Africa’s Economic Growth: Boosting Youth Productivity by Improving Learning and Skills.”

On Tuesday, Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango urged regional and multilateral financial institutions to do more to devise innovative financing solutions in support of Africa’s drive to accelerate human capital development.