Ghana has participated in the 38th African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) conference, which ended in Morocco with a call on African countries to achieve structural transformation to preserve the development capacities they have subscribed to over the past years.
The conference was organized by the AAPAM in partnership with the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa and African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development.
The conference, which was held under the theme: “A Transformed Leadership: Managing National Resources to achieve the objectives of Africa Union Agenda 2063 within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” brought together delegates from 32 African countries, and Ghana presented the highest delegation of 65.
It created an opportunity for delegates to share experiences and opinions on efficient and sustainable management of human resources in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The conference saw presentation of papers by experts in academia, public service practitioners, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and politicians from some African countries.
They deliberated on an assessment of Africa’s worth and a reflection on the contradiction of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment and an exposition of the nexus between a transformed leadership and effective management of national resources.
Other topics included, ‘Going the extra mile, how to ensure that women, people with disability and the youth are involved in the management of national resources,’ elaborating on the capacity needs for a transformed leadership that manages national resources towards achieving the objectives of Africa Agenda 2063 in the context of the SDGs and Countries Case Studies.
Some African countries, including Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa, were awarded in the categories of Gold and Glass, Silver and Bronze respectively for Innovative Management, and countries were encouraged to emulate the award winners and also present papers in the next AAPAM conference.
Africa plays a distinguished role in the world economy as a result of its human, natural, agricultural and mining resources, but the developmental challenges of Africa obstructs its effort at meeting the needs of its people despite the abundance of resources.
The call on African countries to achieve structural transformation and sustainability is louder than ever for Africa to invest in its human resources to guarantee the prudent exploration of its resources for development.
Capacity building for public officials is therefore imperative and a central pillar for the implementation of development programmes.
African leaders were encouraged to adopt good and open governance approaches and principles to maximize benefits from their resources, educational institutions were also called upon to structure their programmes such that graduates will be of relevance to African societies and support the efforts of continental development.
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