Back and Next - Back and NextCapacity building
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The passion for development in today’s Gambia is at an astronomical level. Whether this is coincidence or not, it is open for debate.
One thing that is quite obvious though is that our current political dispensation has set the pace for this accelerated passion for development. People have now become more aware of the fact that it would take their own input, and only their own input, to develop the nation. Apparently, circumstances have forced us to reach this height of thought, as we were predestined.
After 400 years of colonialism, if all what The Gambia achieved was what we had achieved before July 1994, we would have now be positive about the fact that our destiny and those of generations to come are in our own hands.
But we might as well ask; what is it that had been holding us back since independence? There might be varying explanations to this, depending on whom you talk to. But, again, one thing quite obvious is that we lack key resources to develop. And we must be careful not to take these to mean what we have always meant - mere material resources. Even with the abundance of these material or mineral resources, you need a capacitated human resource base to make a maximum benefit out of whatever advantage you have at your disposal.
While we have spent the last years of our independence period casting blames on lack of mineral or material resources, we have ignored the fact that in the absence of those, you can indeed do it. This is the indisputable reality that has of late been captured at national level. And the wave of movement of Gambians on further studies all over the world is a manifestation of government’s resolve in that direction.
Unfortunately, we do not see the same level of enthusiasm being displayed at the lower level. It is important, however, that we get ourselves used to this that we cannot get anywhere if our human resource base is not capacitated. Besides, there is the issue of future demand. The old guards will soon phase out, and, as such, for an assurance of a sustainable flow of the required expertise, we need a capacitated base of that critical mass. Capacity building is important in the development aspirations of every institution; be it in business or at national level.
About 14 years ago, people would have had genuine reasons to complain that they had no enough opportunities for personal upgrading. This has in fact played a crucial role in the underdevelopment of our nation. While countries we had assumed independence with around in the same period have been making smooth cruising throughout, we have had to remain where we find ourselves, because we were reluctant to do what they did.
One other frightening observable phenomenon is that people are becoming used to being told what they should be doing, instead of them initiating ideas. In most cases, people have had to be told what to do before they make any move. This is what ought to be stemmed.
The newspapers are often inundated with vacancy notices, yet very few people who rally for them are found fit for the accompanying descriptions. Yet some one always has to fill the positions. It is either you get the round peg in the round hole, or you get the round peg in the square hole. The implication of having the incompatible mixture (that is; having the round peg in the square hole) is often far reaching in consequences.
Therefore, it will be of crucial importance that, as a nation obsessed for development, we look into these issues for immediate redress. We must invest heavily in our human resource if we are to march a tiny but great nations like Singapore.
One thing that is quite obvious though is that our current political dispensation has set the pace for this accelerated passion for development. People have now become more aware of the fact that it would take their own input, and only their own input, to develop the nation. Apparently, circumstances have forced us to reach this height of thought, as we were predestined.
After 400 years of colonialism, if all what The Gambia achieved was what we had achieved before July 1994, we would have now be positive about the fact that our destiny and those of generations to come are in our own hands.
But we might as well ask; what is it that had been holding us back since independence? There might be varying explanations to this, depending on whom you talk to. But, again, one thing quite obvious is that we lack key resources to develop. And we must be careful not to take these to mean what we have always meant - mere material resources. Even with the abundance of these material or mineral resources, you need a capacitated human resource base to make a maximum benefit out of whatever advantage you have at your disposal.
While we have spent the last years of our independence period casting blames on lack of mineral or material resources, we have ignored the fact that in the absence of those, you can indeed do it. This is the indisputable reality that has of late been captured at national level. And the wave of movement of Gambians on further studies all over the world is a manifestation of government’s resolve in that direction.
Unfortunately, we do not see the same level of enthusiasm being displayed at the lower level. It is important, however, that we get ourselves used to this that we cannot get anywhere if our human resource base is not capacitated. Besides, there is the issue of future demand. The old guards will soon phase out, and, as such, for an assurance of a sustainable flow of the required expertise, we need a capacitated base of that critical mass. Capacity building is important in the development aspirations of every institution; be it in business or at national level.
About 14 years ago, people would have had genuine reasons to complain that they had no enough opportunities for personal upgrading. This has in fact played a crucial role in the underdevelopment of our nation. While countries we had assumed independence with around in the same period have been making smooth cruising throughout, we have had to remain where we find ourselves, because we were reluctant to do what they did.
One other frightening observable phenomenon is that people are becoming used to being told what they should be doing, instead of them initiating ideas. In most cases, people have had to be told what to do before they make any move. This is what ought to be stemmed.
The newspapers are often inundated with vacancy notices, yet very few people who rally for them are found fit for the accompanying descriptions. Yet some one always has to fill the positions. It is either you get the round peg in the round hole, or you get the round peg in the square hole. The implication of having the incompatible mixture (that is; having the round peg in the square hole) is often far reaching in consequences.
Therefore, it will be of crucial importance that, as a nation obsessed for development, we look into these issues for immediate redress. We must invest heavily in our human resource if we are to march a tiny but great nations like Singapore.
Author: DO
See Also - See Also