Africa risks missing tech revolution without human capital — Jonathan
By Kingsley Omonobi
ABUJA — Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that Africa risks missing out on the current technological revolution unless urgent steps are taken to strengthen human capital development across the continent.
Jonathan gave the warning on Monday while delivering a lecture titled, “Harnessing Industrial Capacity for Inclusive Growth and Regional Stability in Africa,” to participants of Course 34 of the National Defence College in Abuja.
He said Africa’s abundant natural resources alone could not guarantee prosperity without the capacity to convert them into high-value goods and services.
“If we miss out on the industrial revolution, agri-revolution, all the revolutions, ICT is now ruling the world. We cannot continue to lag behind. We must focus on young people,” he said.
The former President noted that Africa had abundant natural resources, a large market and significant human capital but continued to lag behind other regions in industrialisation and value addition.
He said technological development should form a central component of Africa’s industrialisation strategy, noting that knowledge, innovation and technology were increasingly driving the world’s wealthiest economies.
Jonathan said transforming Africa’s education and industrial sectors would require sustained political commitment and determination.
“We cannot achieve that overnight, but with a commitment by the leaders, a determination by the citizens, we can still change the story of Africa,” he said.
He expressed concern over the performance of African universities in global rankings, describing the situation as a major challenge to the continent’s technological and industrial advancement.
According to him, meaningful technological development and industrialisation would remain difficult without a stronger education system and specialised institutions capable of producing the skilled manpower required to drive innovation.
Jonathan said African countries needed to review their education systems from the primary level through university education and place greater emphasis on specialised training.
“We must review and recalibrate our businesses from the primary schools to the universities. We don’t have any specialised universities in Africa. It’s terribly bad,” he said.
He urged African leaders to prioritise investment in education and human capital, stressing that the knowledge and skills of young people were among the continent’s most valuable resources.
Citing Singapore as an example, Jonathan said the country’s transformation into a globally competitive economy was supported by deliberate investment in education and capacity building.
He also cited India’s emergence as a major player in information technology, attributing its progress partly to the establishment of specialised institutions designed to develop highly skilled manpower.
“India, at independence from the British, set up institutions that prepared India for the future. They set up specialised institutions, not for everybody. They are training their best brains to control and dominate the world,” he said.
Jonathan urged African countries to move beyond an education system focused primarily on producing graduates and instead develop institutions that promote innovation and specialised skills in science, technology, engineering and information technology.
He also urged the graduating participants of the National Defence College, whom he described as emerging strategic leaders, to champion policies that would strengthen education, technological capacity and industrial development in their respective countries.
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