Stakeholders have underlined the need for Malawi to invest in the development of human capital, skills development and education if the country is to develop economically.
One of the stakeholders, the National Planning Commission (NPC) has also called for special investment in skills development and entreprenuership as one way of improving the country’s labour force.
NPC director general Dr Thomas Munthali made the remarks on Wednesday during the opening of Africa Population Conference at the Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe.
Speaking at the conference, Dr Munthali expressed worry over what he called “under investment” in skills development, saying the trend has robbed the country of capable people who were contributing to the economy.
“If you look at our labour force, you will observe that it’s productivity is very low when compared to other countries in Africa,” said Munthali.
He said currently, the country’s productivity is hovering around US 2.3 dollars per hour while other countries across Africa are hovering around US10 dollars per hour on average.
DR Munthali described the situation as worrisome, urging relevant stakeholders to come up with policies that may trigger positive change.
“As we are talking about achieving 2063 development goals, there is a need to have a productive labour force full of skills and Innovative mind,” said DR Munthali.
Earlier this week, visiting Iceland Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson also tipped Malawi to invest in skills development.
Over 600 delegates from the African continent participated in the conference held under the theme “Road to 2030: Leveraging Africa’s human capital to achieve transformation in a world of uncertainty.”
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera opened the conference on Monday this week.
