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The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, has called for a stronger and more coordinated national approach to tackling Ghana’s human capital challenges.
Addressing the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee meeting on Ghana’s National Human Capital Development Strategy (HCDS) in Accra on Thursday, 20 November 2025, Dr. Amoah stressed that Ghana’s long-term socio-economic transformation is directly tied to its ability to develop, empower, and retain a productive workforce.
“Ghana’s quest for socio-economic transformation cannot be divorced from its commitment to human capital development,” she said. “With the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid technological change, Ghana has no option but to strategically invest in its people to build the skills, competencies, and capabilities needed to drive innovation and sustainable national development.”
Dr. Amoah outlined a number of pressing concerns facing the country, including demographic pressures, persistent labour-market mismatches, the continuous outflow of skilled professionals, and increasing fragmentation across sectors.
“The urgency of this strategy cannot be overstated. We are confronted with demographic pressures, labour-market mismatch, an ongoing outflow of skilled Ghanaians, and increasing fragmentation across sectors. These challenges make coordinated ministerial support not just desirable but absolutely necessary,” she emphasised.
She reiterated NDPC’s appeal for robust multi-sectoral collaboration involving government institutions, industry, academia, and research organisations to drive the HCDS forward.
Co-Principal Investigator and Country Research Manager at Thrive, Dr Kwabena Tandoh, described the HCDS as a transformative national blueprint spanning 2026 to 2057.
He highlighted priority areas such as early childhood development, quality education reforms, strengthened parental engagement, improved teacher motivation, and integrated health and social programmes.
He noted that although Ghana is gaining recognition as a regional leader in early childhood development, significant bottlenecks persist. According to him, the strategy seeks to advance not only economic growth but also equity, empowerment, and locally driven solutions.
Principal Planning Analyst at NDPC, Mr. Peter Porekuu, outlined the core pillars of the Human Capital Development Strategy, stressing the importance of building a modern workforce equipped with critical thinking, STEM competencies, and the skills demanded by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He explained that the strategy includes reviewing existing policies, addressing misalignments, and ensuring that training and education systems respond effectively to industry needs.
Mr. Porekuu also pointed to national challenges such as weakening family systems, rural–urban inequalities, skills mismatches, infrastructure deficits in emerging regions, gender and pay disparities, cultural barriers, and the persistent brain drain.
The HCDS places a strong focus on improving learning outcomes, health, skills development, and productivity. It aligns closely with the President’s Resetting Ghana Agenda, which seeks to rebuild economic foundations, strengthen institutions, restore productivity, and ensure that people remain at the centre of national development.
Thursday’s meeting marked another important step in strengthening coordination across key sectors — including education, health, jobs, and social protection — as Ghana moves to accelerate a unified strategy to develop its human capital.
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