Thursday, March 28, 2024

Create an education system that shapes a well-skilled workforce, Ghanaian President urges African states

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Ghanaian President Akufo Addo and President Lungu at Trade Fair Grounds in Ndola for the official opening of the Zambia International Trade Fair
Ghanaian President Akufo Addo and President Lungu at Trade Fair Grounds in Ndola for the official opening of the Zambia International Trade Fair

GHANAIAN President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged African countries to invest in human capital value addition by creating an education system that shapes a well-skilled workforce which can compete favourably in the global economy.

And President Akufo-Addo has called for industrialisation of African economies by promoting value addition to raw materials to attain prosperity.

Speaking when he officially opened the 53rd Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) yesterday, the Ghanaian leader said Africa needs an education system that can impart skills to citizens for them to realise their full potential.

“Our economies are not structured to meet the needs of our people. What Africa needs above all is value addition, and this can start by adding value to human capital through an education system that provides every child with a skill to realise their full potential.

“This is why on my part I made education as one of the foundations of my vision to build a knowledge-based industrialised economy. Access to free universal quality education is the key to participate in the new global economy,” he said.

This year’s ZITF is being held under the theme ‘Innovation and Industrialisation’.

And President Akufo-Addo has said raw material producing countries need to promote value addition to their products for them to achieve economic prosperity and improved living standards of citizens.

“Raw material producing economies do not create prosperity for their people, the way to prosperity is by ensuring access to value addition,” he said.

He said it is for this reason that every district in Ghana has a factory to promote value addition.

President Akufo-Addo said through the public-private partnership initiative, his country has successfully established enterprises to ensure that it does not become a retailer of cheap imports.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo said successful leaders are innovative and invest in new ideas that can stimulate economic development.

He said leaders must be focused on providing a better future for their citizens.

The visiting President commended ZITF organising committee for successfully hosting this year’s show.

ZITF board chairperson Jane Kabwela appealed to Government to consider improving the infrastructure at the trade fair venue.

Ms Kabwela said the construction of the Copperbelt International Airport will attract various businesses to the province, hence the need to improve infrastructure at the trade fair grounds.

She said the trade fair has continued to grow over the past few years with more than 600 exhibitors participating at this year’s event compared to 400 that took part in last year’s fair.

Earlier, President Lungu and President Akufo-Addo attended a luncheon at Mukuba Hotel sponsored by the National Road Fund Agency and Zesco.

26 COMMENTS

    • But president Lungu has already done that.

      This Ghanaian president is rubbing me the wrong way.

      If these snippets are aimed at doubting the hard work President Lungu is doing, I’m afraid he is welcome in zambia anymore.

      Thanks

      BB2014,2016

    • @Mushota, you can’t handle the truth? A real friend will tell you the truth. A fake friend like the President if Rwanda will go behind you and talk to others about you. Let PF remember that.

    • Can this happen in Nigeria?

      Re: Zambian Minister On His Knees As President Lungu Talks To Him (Photo) by Nobody: 4:39pm On Mar 20

      A Minister in Zambia is akin to a clerk in Nigeria while their president cannot stand a local government chairman in Nigeria.

      Two biggest albatrosses mitigating against the emancipation of the African continent :

      1. Religious Leaders.

      2. Political leaders.

      This is disgusting.

      He is extremely loyal and begging to keep his job grin grin grin grin
      15 Likes

      Re: Zambian Minister On His Knees As President Lungu Talks To Him (Photo) by seangy4konji: 4:43pm On Mar 20
      he will be the first person to stab that president when the chance arrives…

    • This Akufo-Addo is controlling the scene, from day one he is telling Lungu what to do. Interesting.
      No wonder for the first time I hear ECL saying he is more focused on development that helps ordinary Zambians. Is he getting some economic lessons? Will he stop being Mugabe/Museveni pupil?

  1. This man has a good head on his shoulder. He has built a factory in every district of Ghana. He has a vision. Even the way he’s waving at people and the way he is carrying himself, it’s as if he’s the Leader of Zambia and not a visitor.

  2. Ati “create a competitive education system” ….and yet both nations can’t even run an airline or an Africa-level multinational company.

    • Of all the sectors you choose the airline sector…its like talking about beer when your colleagues are seriously talking about reducing hunger.
      When are you going to get it in your thick skulls that creating a national airline does not increase tourism…are you going to offer reduced airfares than Emirates, KLM?

  3. Look at the Lazy Lungu following everywhere in that photo… are you telling me when this work shy bum was in Israel the Prime Minister followed him everywhere.
    Learn to delegate…you were in CB just last weekend. Leave this to your ministers!!

  4. This man has said some very progressive things since he arrived. So now we can identify two African leaders that are doing it for their people -Magufuli and Addo. I wish he was talking to a President that was willing to change.

  5. The Ghanaian President is talking alot of sense and I only hope that the powers that be will learn something from him. I like the way he presents his thoughts. He has a vision for Africa.I would like to suggest to President Lungu to make him one of his close friends unlike his seemingly old, finished, empty and clueless Mugabes and Musevenis of this world.

  6. @Mushota,Have a say to this quote; “This is why on my part I made education as one of the foundations of MY VISION to build a knowledge-based industrialized economy. Access to free universal quality education is the key to participate in the new global economy,” he said.
    These are the leaders who we need.

  7. @KAZEYA,Forgive Mushota,she is a blind follower.The people she is following have NO VISION for this country!how absurd.The other day our Minister of Finance was rebuked by a World bank official that Zambia’s fiscal policy was not consistent!!Quote: “The World Bank has advised Finance Minister Felix Mutati to be consistent in his fiscal policies.World Bank lead economist Willem Janssen told Mutati today that everybody was complaining about the inconsistencies in fiscal policies which were CHANGING EVERY YEAR.” Changing every year means one does NOT have a vision!!!

  8. Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo’s clarity of purpose is admirable. Value addition, value addition, value addition. Brilliant.
    And his body language consistently confirms it.
    For example, with that kind of mindset, by now Zambia would have given rise to many variants of ZAMEFA, and would have been exporting sim-cards, domestic electrical switches, Circuit boards, etc… etc… Then Zambia would raise its own capital to build its infrastructure and strengthen other economic sectors and borrow less.
    Given that Zambia still has another 50 years of copper mining, in football terms it is now at half-time. So, its not too late to vigorously seek value addition. We should even make Congo DR next door find it attractive to sell their copper to us.
    Lets put Country first.

  9. Well said! Seems to have wisdom, I wish he had written is his inauguration Speech…wait a minute are these his own words? I hope!

  10. , President Akufo-Addo said successful leaders are innovative and invest in new ideas that can stimulate economic development.
    Lungu is neither innovative nor does he have new ideas

    • I don’t think Ghana is industrialized. I was in that country last summer and toured three cities, namely Accra, Cape Coast and Kumasi. Like Zambia, I saw South African stores. Street vendors are everywhere; and this makes moving downtown very difficult. Wherever we went, these guys would at our bus windows trying to coast us to buy whatever they had. The only I noticed is that the Ghanaian government used the Chinese government to work on the roads and expand them. Thus, that country has at least several roads
      with lanes on one side. It also has a dozen of public universities which include the three biggest in Accra, Cape Coast, and Kumasi.

    • @Lipkwa,
      In this article, President Akufo-Addo never said Ghana is industrialised. He is talking about his vision. He said:- “This is why on my part I made education as one of the foundations of MY VISION to build a knowledge-based industrialised economy.”
      So, what’s your point exactly when you say Ghana is not industrialised?

      He goes on to say: “ It is for this reason that every district in Ghana has a factory to promote value addition…..successful leaders are innovative and invest in new ideas that can stimulate economic development.”
      So, in your summer tour of three Cities in that Country, are you saying you established that there is not a single factory in one of them, and the President is not being truthful, or what?

      You talk about street vending? We have street vendors even…

    • …Cont’d… even here in UK. The main difference is here it is more organised and is given a name with a positive spin, like ‘Morning Market’, or ‘Saturday Market’ etc…. So, what’s your point?

    • In short, Ghana is not different from Zambia. I believe this applies to almost all the African countries. You still have a long way to go. Of course, “Saturday market” is different from what we have in Africa. As you have pointed out, here in the U.S. Saturday markets are well organized. It is like what we see in Ghana and Zambia. It is total confusion. People just want to sell something for meal. Imagine, people running after vehicles just to have a Kwacha or Cedi.

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