Ricketts-Hagan advocates an urgent overhaul of certificate-oriented educational systems to a more practical skill- oriented approach
Ricketts-Hagan advocates an urgent overhaul of certificate-oriented educational systems to a more practical skill- oriented approach
Chairman of the Joint Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Committees on Education, Science and Culture, Health, and Telecommunications & Information Technology, Mr. George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, has called on West African nations to urgently overhaul their certificate-oriented educational systems to a more practical skill- oriented system.
He warned that the over-reliance on certificates is failing the region’s youth and its economies.
Mr. Ricketts-Hagan, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South constituency in the Central region and Deputy Majority leader in Ghana’s Parliament, argued strongly that to unlock a demographic dividend from its youthful population, education must be embedded with digital literacy, green skills, and entrepreneurial thinking at all levels.
Speaking at the opening of a delocalised meeting of the Joint Committees in Lome, Togo, Mr. Ricketts-Hagan painted a stark picture of the current reality: “The sub-regional labour markets are shifting faster than our curricula,” he said. “The widening gap between training and opportunity creates a troubling paradox: vacancies without skilled applicants and graduates without jobs.”
He described this as a “structural disconnect” between what is taught in classrooms and what regional economies demand. This misalignment, he noted, is exacerbated by rapid technological disruption, high youth unemployment, and climate vulnerability.
A Call for Radical Reform: TVET and Industry Partnerships
To address this, Mr. Ricketts-Hagan proposed a multi-pronged strategy focused on making education a driver of economic transformation, rather than a follower.
He called for the immediate strengthening and institutionalization of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
Chairman of the joint ECOWAS Committees on Education, Science and Culture, Health, and Telecommunications & Information Technology urged for continuous curriculum reviews developed in partnership with the private sector.
“Education must not merely follow economic transformation; it must drive it. For us to achieve this requires structured, continuous dialogue between Ministers of Education and Labour, alongside private sector leaders and academic institutions,” he reiterated.
Mr. Ricketts-Hagan stressed that when education aligns with the needs of agriculture, industry, and the digital economy, it builds a workforce that is both adaptable and competitive.
The Chairman posed a critical question to his colleagues and stakeholders: “Are our curricula designed to equip learners with the adaptability, emotional intelligence, and ethical grounding required to succeed, or are we merely preparing them to pass examinations?”
The answer to this question, according to him, would be the benchmark by which the success of any educational reform is measured.
He added that the task ahead requires evidence-based policymaking, significant investment in teacher capacity, and the integration of emerging technologies.
“As Chairman of the Committee on Education, Science and Culture, I can assure you of our unwavering commitment to placing education at the heart of our socio-economic transformation,” Ricketts-Hagan concluded.
The delocalised meeting in Lome is expected to produce key recommendations for harmonizing educational standards across the ECOWAS region to better meet the demands of the 21st-century economy.
