Uganda’s Buyanja East Member of Parliament, Hon. Dr Emely Kugonza, has called on African countries to prioritise investment in human capital, science and technology to transform the continent’s abundant natural resources into sustainable jobs and economic opportunities for its rapidly growing youthful population.
Kugonza made the call while addressing the 55th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region Conference being held at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Malawi.
He argued that Africa’s vast natural resource wealth can only translate into meaningful development if countries build the skills and technological capacity required to exploit and add value to these resources locally.
“Africa should invest in human capital and technology in order to turn its natural resources into sustainable jobs for its people,” Kugonza said.
He noted that Africa is endowed with enormous deposits of resources including oil, gold, diamonds, copper, cobalt, manganese and rare earth minerals, many of which are critical to modern industries and the global technological economy.
Despite this resource wealth, he observed that the continent continues to face high levels of youth unemployment, largely because of gaps between the skills produced by education systems and those demanded by modern economies.
Kugonza urged African governments to place greater emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, saying industrialisation, infrastructure development, energy systems and digital transformation require a highly skilled workforce.
He warned that many African education systems are producing millions of young people who enter the labour market without the practical and technical skills needed to participate effectively in economic transformation.
According to Kugonza, Africa’s youthful population represents one of the continent’s greatest economic assets if properly equipped with relevant skills.
He pointed out that approximately 1.6 billion Africans are below the age of 25, describing this population as a potential workforce capable of driving the continent’s transformation for decades to come.
“The resources, if used well to support the youthful population, can make Africa’s transformation one of the fastest of the 21st century,” he said.
Kugonza stressed that African countries must therefore move beyond exporting raw materials and instead invest in skills development, technology, research, innovation and value addition.
He said doing so would enable African economies to create jobs for their young populations while increasing local participation in industries built around the continent’s natural resources.
The CPA Africa Region Conference brings together parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth Africa region to deliberate on issues affecting the continent and explore approaches to strengthening parliamentary democracy, development and good governance.