Human Resource Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The need for skills development and training in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasing in an area where unstable economies and high unemployment create challenges on many levels. Sub-Saharan Africa is faced with great poverty, skills migration, and HIV/AIDS, which are depleting the region of skilled workers in their prime working years. The region is facing numerous challenges in the development of skills and the ability to make use of the available human resources. It can be argued that the Sub-Saharan African region needs to increase the skilled labour pool and to develop communities. Perhaps most importantly, there is an urgent need for the region to face the impact of globalization on its own terms. This involves the fusion of African philosophy and management styles with the traditional Western theories with human resource development (HRD) strategies and policies that will be suitable for the developing economies in the region.

Key words:

• Sub-Saharan Africa
• human capital
• training
• skills development
• managing diversity
• African philosophy

Notes

1. European Union Strategy for Africa: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/05/370&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

2. Ministry for Welfare and Population Development, White Paper for social welfare, 1997: http://www.polity.org.za/html/govdocs/white_papers/social971.html?rebookmark=1#PREAMBLE