Accra, June 25, GNA-The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), in collaboration with the Design and Technology Institute (DTI), has held a consultative roundtable to validate the Skills and Jobs pillar of Ghana’s draft Human Capital Development Strategy (2025–2057), with a strong emphasis on building an artificial intelligence (AI)-ready workforce.
The half-day event brought together senior representatives from government, industry, academia, technical training institutions and development partners.
The roundtable forms part of a broader stakeholder consultation process aimed at refining the long-term national strategy designed to drive inclusive growth, productivity and structural transformation.
Participants assessed the Strategy’s diagnostic framework, identified implementation risks and examined the governance, financing and accountability systems required for effective delivery.
Ghana’s Human Capital Index currently stands at 0.45, indicating that significant potential remains untapped. Youth unemployment among persons aged 15–24 is estimated at 32.1 per cent, while Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) completion rates remain low at about 30 per cent.
The consultation focused on closing what organisers described as the “skills-jobs-productivity divide,” highlighting the need to convert education into employable skills, skills into productive jobs and jobs into improved livelihoods and national competitiveness.
Speaking at the event, Ms Constance Swaniker, Founder and President of DTI, underscored the importance of aligning training systems with labour market needs.
“Ghana’s future competitiveness will depend not on the resources beneath our soil, but on the capabilities, skills and productivity of our people,” she said.
She noted that while gains had been made in increasing access to education, “access is no longer enough,” stressing the need for education systems that are aligned with industry requirements.
“Too many young people complete school only to find that their skills do not match labour market demand, while employers struggle to find work-ready talent,” Ms Swaniker added.
Madam Alice Amekudzi, Director of the Development Policy Division at NDPC, said the Strategy reflected a deliberate shift towards treating human capital as an economic imperative rather than a social sector concern.
“To unlock Ghana’s demographic dividend, we must ensure that education systems, skills development pathways and labour market structures work together to produce a healthy, skilled and productive workforce,” she stated.
She emphasised that the consultative roundtable was a critical milestone in refining the Strategy.
“This engagement allows us to test assumptions, strengthen policy directions and define the practical conditions required for implementation, including financing, governance and accountability mechanisms,” Madam Amekudzi said.
A key feature of the discussions was the role of artificial intelligence and digital transformation in shaping future jobs.
Participants called for the integration of AI into education and training systems, noting that emerging technologies were changing the nature of work and the skills required for competitiveness.
Delivering a global perspective, Dr Marcia Conston, President of Tidewater Community College in the United States, said countries worldwide were grappling with similar challenges.
“The strongest workforce systems do more than expand access to education; they connect learning to work, work to mobility, and mobility to national competitiveness,” she said.
Dr Conston commended Ghana for addressing the right questions at a critical time.
“The central question is no longer just how to expand education, but how to translate education into productive work and economic opportunity,” she added.
She highlighted the importance of employer engagement, apprenticeship programmes and flexible learning pathways in building responsive workforce systems.
The programme featured presentations by the NDPC technical team and three panel discussions focusing on on-the-job learning, labour market opportunities and education reforms, including curriculum development and certification systems.
Participants also engaged in group sessions to identify gaps and propose actionable reforms across areas such as skills development, enterprise growth, data systems and financing.
Mr Art Hall, Vice President for Workforce Solutions at Tidewater Community College, emphasised the importance of flexibility and industry-led training.
“If workforce training is important, it must be funded and aligned with industry demand,” he said.
He further urged Ghana to integrate AI training across disciplines to ensure future workforce relevance.
The roundtable marked the third phase of the Strategy’s consultation process, following earlier engagements in 2025 and a stakeholder validation session in February 2026.
Outcomes from the discussions are expected to inform revisions to the draft Strategy ahead of further validation at the 6th Precision Quality Conference scheduled for October 2026.
The Ghana Human Capital Development Strategy is structured around seven pillars: Early Childhood Development; Health and Nutrition; Education and Skills; Productive Employment; Innovation and Digital Transformation; Equity and Lifelong Learning; and Governance and Financing.
The NDPC is leading the formulation of the Strategy as part of its mandate to guide national development planning.
DTI, a leading institution in industry-aligned skills development, is serving as a key private sector partner in the process.
GNA
Kenneth Odeng Adade