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Briefing: Investing in People

Written by: World Economic Forum

Article Overview: Mamphela Ramphele, Co Chair, Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM), Geneva, introduced the session by asking the Commission for Africa to outline its central message regarding investment in Africa s human resources, and what recommendations it has made to promote such investmen

Briefing: Investing in People

01.06.2005

Africa Economic Summit 2005

Mamphela Ramphele, Co Chair, Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM), Geneva, introduced the session by asking the Commission for Africa to outline its central message regarding investment in Africa s human resources, and what recommendations it has made to promote such investment.

A short presentation was given by Zahid Torres Rahman, Head, Business Outreach, Commission for Africa, in which he outlined the following key recommendations: · education to ensure every child in Africa goes to school, an additional US$ 7 8 billion per year needs to be provided in donor aid; · health to strengthen Africa s health systems, an additional US$ 7 billion over five years is required, and an additional 1 million healthcare workers need to be trained and retained in Africa by 2015; · children "social protection for orphans and vulnerable children" is required; · HIV and AIDS donors need to increase their annual contributions by US$ 10 billion within five years.

Benjamin William Mkapa, President of Tanzania; Commissioner, Commission for Africa, thanked Torres Rahman for the presentation and addressed two issues that he said underpin the work of the Commission. Firstly, a sense of "human solidarity," in which a common obligation to help other nations is expressed and, secondly, a sense of "self interest" is evident between developed countries and Africa.

Mkapa warned against increasing poverty in Africa and stated that this is a reason for African governments, local NGOs and the African public to vocalize their support for the Commission. He added that life expectancy in certain African countries has decreased from 52 to 38 years and that 47 million children in Africa do not attend school. This, he said, leads to instability and the impossibility of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) being met.

Questions from the floor centred on the themes of institutional development, skills outflow, benefits of foreign aid and prioritization of agriculture as an economic sector.

Nick Binedell, Director, Gordon Institute of Business Sciences, South Africa; John Rowett, Secretary General, Association of Commonwealth Universities, United Kingdom; and Guy Pfefferman, Director, Global Business School Network, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Washington DC, referred to a lack of development among tertiary education institutes and the need to produce African students skilled in technical and managerial expertise. Mkapa indicated that the Commission has identified the need for as much as US$ 3 billion to be invested in "Centres of Learning" over the next five years.

Garth C. Japhet, Executive Director, Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication, South Africa, and Rodwyn Grewan, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Partnership SA, South Africa, asked whether the Commission has addressed the outflow of skills in the education and healthcare sectors from African countries to developed countries. Torres Rahman responded on behalf of the Commission, by repeating its realization that an additional one million healthcare workers need to be trained and retained in Africa by 2015.

Husam Dajani, Vice President, Oracle Systems, United Arab Emirates, questioned the amount of foreign aid to Africa which returns to the donor country of origin. Ramphele responded by saying that US$ 4 billion are spent every year by donor organizations on non African consultants. Mkapa said he hoped that the delivery systems of overseas development agencies will improve so that local consultants are used.

In response to a question from George Inholo, General Sales Manager, Unilever Uganda, Uganda, on the priority afforded to agricultural skills development, Mkapa said that it is "common wisdom in Africa that development starts with agriculture", and that this sector has to be a top priority of the Commission.

Ramphele concluded the session by highlighting the "common interest" expressed in Africa s development and that people are its most important resource. She also made note of her disappointment that there was no mention in the session of the need for increased political and economic empowerment of women. This, she said, is not just a human rights issue, but "the economically responsible thing to do".

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Article Tags: african governments, aid health, billion over five years, business outreach, central message, donor aid, economic summit, global commission, head business, healthcare workers, hiv and aids, human solidarity, institutional development, international migration, millennium development goals, mkapa, outreach commission, poverty in africa, president of tanzania, vulnerable children



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