Learner’s Submission: Alignment of Human Resource Capacity Development with the Development Vision of Ghana; The Role of Top Leaders

“Development of ‘human resources’ in both public and private sector organizations has become critical in an increasingly knowledge-based globalizing economy (Analoui, 2007). In particular, human resource capacity building for public service delivery has been recognized by developed, transition, and developing economies under the notion of the ‘new public management’ reform.

The development of every country depends on the capacity of her human resource. Globalization, innovation, new economic settings, information technology, peace, deregulation, demographic changes in the population; Institutions today face a variety of challenges. In order to stay ahead of the pack, firms must adjust their business strategies to reflect and address these challenges inherent within our newfound global environment. It is vital that managers and consultants are able to analyze the shifting frame conditions and, implement the corporate strategy accordingly. I believe that in all the challenges, education will lead the change towards a more sustainable future. To meet all these challenges we need to generate knowledge and understanding including scientific knowledge through research and tacit knowledge resident with the local people. This is because, as the saying goes ”he that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils and extinction, for time is the greatest innovator”. Without a shadow of doubt, a country’s human capital constitutes its most formidable asset and resource in the strive towards sustainable development in all its facets. Countries such as Singapore have excelled both economically and socially as a result of heavy and sustained investment in their human resources, despite a limited natural resource endowment.

In light of this, top leadership has to move from the attitude of business as usual to a more strategic planning, innovation and strategy in order to cause or create paradigm shift of the human resource capacity development of the country. In order to achieve this goal the following policies should be implemented;

• Government leaders together with stakeholders should promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and build human capacity and knowledge through comprehensive and high-quality education, training, and skills development programs. They should promote quality education as a goal, including basic education and distance learning as a means of sharing ideas and experiences in facing common challenges and exploiting opportunities presented by the rapid development.
• They should also place importance on a learning society that affirms the role of education, prepares its peoples to embrace the change, and is characterized by lifelong learning. Information technology should be a core competency for teachers and students.
• Moreover they must ensure that human resource capacity development  interventions are based on systematic needs assessment and avoid over optimism about her level of commitment to projects. Their commitment must be based on critical assessment of the political economy and peoples’ commitment to change. Top leaders must also ensure adequacy of funding and proper planning and management of programmes
• Also they must address issues of sustainability of project and project goals should align with national priorities/objectives. Project design should also show clarity, feasibility and impact.
• They must emphasize the significance and use of ICTs as a component of human resource capacity building across Ghana’s economy, and in the distribution of knowledge by establishing education as the fundamental issue in policy development in Member Economies.

In a nutshell if the above listed roles are been considered by top leadership, it will aid in promoting Ghana, ownership and leadership of national development agenda, including the achievement of Aid Effectiveness and sustainable development. It will also help to stimulate Ghana to be more self-reliant and self-sustaining accelerate economic growth and equitable development in order to reduce poverty and inequality progressively across Ghana and strengthen mutually beneficial learning, application and actions such that the country’s know-how, good practices and innovations will also shape global development thinking and actions positively in the 21st Century. ” – Peter Kwabena Essien – Tarkwa-Western Region, Ghana

Learner’s Submission: Human Resource Capacity Development in Pakistan

“Role of Top leadership in Human Resource Capacity Development (HRCD).

The role of leadership of any country in its development is very important. In the perspective of HRCD the role of leadership becomes more important and critical with the development vision of the country. Therefore, in general, the top leadership of any country needs to consider following suggestions in order to align the HRCD with the development vision:

• Realistic National HRCD Policy & Legal framework should be designed for creating harmony with the growth and transformation plan of the country.

• Top leadership should establish a link between the political leadership system of the country and capacity development approach of the country.

• A favorable positive and motivated environment should be created; that can encourage the human resource of the country to move in to action.

• The top leadership should have to initiate change, show the change direction and should run the change.

The world is becoming like a global village and the government policies & institutes are becoming more precise, economic and HR Planning and HR Capacity Development is becoming more vital need for developing countries like Pakistan. It is Human resource capacity that brings pace in countries motion. All over the world, technology been regarded as the most critical resource in currently passed period, But leaders and experts have now changed the trends and are now of the opinion increasingly recognize human resource capacity development as potential the most crucial factor in the effective deployment of the country.

It is quit imperative that the political top leadership’s vision is critical and important for the HR capacity development of Pakistan. Leadership is the central point that relates the implementation of HRCD of the country with its planning of growth& development.

This Note describes the points that should be deliberately adopted by top leadership of the country in aligning HRCD with the development vision of the Pakistan.

• National HRCD policy and strategy should be established and implemented to the divisional level.
• There should be harmony in HRCD policy and its implication at all levels (Local, Divisional & National).
• At the same time, all HRCD efforts should be result oriented and geared towards the National development vision.
• National system for monitoring and evaluation of HRCD should be established.

The problem of settlement of highly qualified nationals, experts and skilled labor in other countries has affected Pakistan severely and this is an indication of losing the research and innovative capacity needed to participate in the development of the country. Pakistan at this moment in time is in dire need of massive capacity building projects and there is also in a dire need to plan again to bring back its brains (citizens). It is present in the next Five year plan (2014-19) to achieve the rapid Growth. Hopefully, there is no doubt, they could enable Pakistan to accomplish its growth and transformation goals by providing the supporting infrastructure for human resource capacity building for the country.” – Huhammad Akbar Malik – Punjab, Pakistan

Learner’s Submission: Human Resource Capacity Development

“What needs to be done by top Leadership to Align Human Resource Capacity Development with the Development Vision of the Country?

 

• Capacity Development refers to the process of unleashing, strengthening and maintaining capacity.
• For any country to fast track its development there is a need to invest in its most important resource i.e. people. HRCD has become vital if governments must achieve their development objectives.
• Off necessity are accurate HRM Strategies that seeks out individuals with the right knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities required to drive any nation to its lofty development goals.
• HRM Strategies must be reviewed, adjusted and sometimes completely changed to provide an efficient and effective service delivery to citizens.  This is achieved by placing the right people at the right place at the right time with the right skills.
• The development vision of every country must also be first straightened out. This means that for any vision to succeed it cannot be developed by government alone. The people for whom the vision is meant must be carried along.
• Government only lays the vision-template which points the direction of development but the final vision-document, must be generated through the involvement and participation of all sectors of the state i.e. citizens, private sector and civil society.
• This format ensures that the missions of the State will be understood and agreed by all actors. This creates an open society where each governance actor knows what others are doing and encourages collaboration and networking among them.
• The end product of this collective effort provides a document of reference for which government focuses on what it can and must do to move in the direction of its development vision.
• The next step will be to restructure the country’s public service. Public service is the human resource capital that is structured to provide public services according to people’s expectations, based on daily needs, challenges and peculiarities.
• The public service must be reoriented towards the community. It must become responsive to citizens.
• To achieve an efficient and effective public service institution, the government must develop a clear policy framework that will guide this drive.
• Policy refers to priorities, guidelines, and orientations deemed necessary to achieve common agreed objectives. It is developed and adopted to address major problems and vested interests of people including stakeholders who live or work in the same area, field, community, development sector, environment or country. Policy is governing actions to be undertaken in its sphere of influence.
• The sphere of influence here is the civil service, which is a key tool by which government can achieve its objectives.
• The policy must identify and develop the required human resources in the public sector for addressing the current and future challenges posed by the imperatives of development.
• These policy guidelines must be coherent and comprehensive and aimed at providing effective and efficient public service delivery. It must state the commitment of government playing the central role in ensuring the transformation and development of the country.” – Vincent Hope – Wudil, Nigeria