Africa needs new institutional framework for human resource development — Don

To address the litany of challenges currently facing Africa, the Director of Songhai Farm, Porto Novo, Benin Republic, Dr Godfrey Nzamujo, has urged governments in the continent to initiate new institutional frameworks for authentic human resource development.

Speaking at the 8th annual convocation/matriculation ceremony of Esep Le Berger University, Cotonou, Benin Republic, Nzamujo noted that “Africa is squarely in a logic of poverty that must be reversed.”

“We need to search for a new institutional framework for authentic human resource development for Africa today to face the present, triple challenges of environmental degradation, food insecurity/poverty and endemic unemployment,” he stated.

The convocation guest lecturer said that when a community is no longer able to internally generate the appropriate vision, corresponding human capacities and structures to adequately face its challenges in a sustained manner, that community has run into a logic of poverty or under-development.

Nzamujo further urged African leaders to engage in a project of a new beginning which must be based on an endogenous worldview anchored in the deep and fundamental insights on the socio-economic and scientific realities of the continent.

He also appealed to Africans to be committed to raising young people who will be retooled for the African society.

Earlier at the event, the university Registrar, Dr Charles Ijisakin, encouraged the graduating students that obtaining a degree is not the end of the journey but the beginning of a new life of service to their country and humanity.

Also at the event, the trio of Suleiman Al-Ahmad, Pastor James Idowu Taiwo and John Adedeji were awarded honorary doctoral degrees in various disciplines, having distinguished themselves in their chosen careers and in service to humanity.

Adeiyin Owolabi of the Department of Computer Science, who was adjudged the overall best graduating student was awarded a cash prize of N100,000.