18, June 2018, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia- African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Amb. Kwesi Quartey today held bilateral talks with Ms. Annette Dixon, the Vice President for Human Development at the World Bank. Amb. Kwesi welcomed Ms. Annette’s presence at the African Union headquarters, in her maiden visit to Africa. The meeting acknowledged the importance of advancing the quality of human capacity, as a strategic approach to Africa’s structural transformation.

Amb. Kwesi briefed the Ms. Annette on the priority focus of the Commission, highlighting the ongoing institutional reforms of the Union, the integration agenda and domestic resource mobilization policy implementation, all aimed at driving the realization of equitable and inclusive socio-economic transformation and development of the continent.

Amb. Kwesi at the same time observed the continent’s heightened emphasis on human capacity development as the driver of sustainable economic growth. He underpinned the linkages between leveraging on education and the skills revolution and accelerating development. He noted “we have a demographic trend that is rapidly increasing and we need to adequately harness the dividends by having every African child in school, offering quality education as well as relooking the skills revolution. This will ensure our people, specifically the youth, have the requisite skills, capacity and expertise for meaningful engagement in the labour market.”

He added “to be able to take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution, we need a human capital that can effortlessly take part in the high productive sectors. Ultimately, this will have greater impact in poverty reduction and boost development in the continent.”

Ms. Annette briefed on her mandate in advocating for development in the sectors of education, health, nutrition and social protection as part of the World Bank’s support to African states, to build capacity towards the realization of their development goals. She highlighted the Bank’s new “human capital project” aimed at laying emphasis on the nexus between improved qualities of human abilities and economic growth. “The World Bank sees great potential in Africa which if not met by opportunities, presents a challenge. We are paying more attention, encouraging and supporting countries to make a shift and channel more investments in education and health sectors, as a link to sustainable development”, she observed.

With the rapidly growing populations, Africa is estimated to have an increase of 42 percent, 321 million youth by 2030. Africa’s demographic structure presents great opportunities for a demographic dividend. However, unemployment or underemployment, lack of quality educational opportunities and inclusive governance as well as poverty, presents risks for the continent. Sustained inclusive growth has been underscored as a critical aspect to create jobs, drive poverty reduction and increase the competitiveness of the Africa, globally.

For further information, please contact:
Ms. Doreen Apollos, Communication Advisor to the Deputy Chairperson. Email: ApollosD@africa-union.org
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