Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, is of the view that the country is not headed in the right direction due to the failure to harness its human resources to drive production.

He says practical skills acquisition should be the core of Ghana’s human resource development for socio-economic growth.

“If the country is headed in the right direction, we have to add value to our resources. Human Resources is the biggest resource we have in Ghana. We have to train ourselves to do things we need in the country with our hands. But we don’t even focus on that at all,” he said.

Speaking in an interview with Nana Juntuah on Nhyira FM, Prof Frimpong-Boateng emphasised the need for investment and for sacrifices to be made to ensure growth and secure generations.

“We need to make sacrifices in order to grow as a country. Sacrifices for our future, even if it doesn’t benefit us, it’ll benefit our generations. We have about 200 tertiary institutions, and about 22 are government institutions. Why is it that people who complete university can’t do something good for the country?” he asked.

Expressing his disappointment in Ghana buying software from other countries for digitization, Prof Frimpong-Boateng expressed conviction that Ghanaian universities could have worked on that.

“Universities are there to solve our problems, but we don’t utilize them. Computer science and technology are studied in universities, and they could have helped with digitization, not for us to be roaming the world to buy software. We are supposed to commission one or two universities, by telling them our plans so they bring us the programmes, then the nation will follow, the next government will follow,” he opined.

He further advised the youth to stop following politicians and sharpen their skills in handiwork.

“As of now, there are no jobs, so everyone is following politics so that they can have some of the corrupt money. But we have to sacrifice for Ghana. We have to train ourselves. When you go to Kumasi Magazine, you’ll see people doing aluminum windows, coal pots and a lot of other things. We have to train ourselves for ourselves and for exports,” said Prof Frimpong-Boateng.