HUMAN CAPACITY BUILDING — THE DEVELOPING WORLD’S BIGGEST NECESSITY

Over time, the concept of a Global North-South divide in the International System has dominated and shaped international thought processes and policies. The North makes, the South takes. The North knows what the South doesn’t. It is a political, social, and economic divide that has been dominant for decades. For proof, look no further than the operations of the international institutions and organizations established to bring “order and stability” to the international system.

This divide was strongly propagated in the post-WW2 system, and has managed to exist mostly unharmed for decades. At that time, the divide was just as physical as it was psychological; presently, economic development in certain parts means some countries have made the jump from the South to the North irrespective of geographic location. Think South Korea’s development over the past fifty to sixty years. By 1957, Ghana and South Korea had about the same annual per capita GDP; just three decades later, South Korea’s annual purchasing power per head was about 10 times that of Ghana’s — that was in 1987. In 2016, Ghana is not much closer to catching up with South Korea. South Korea is home to multinational companies such as Samsung, LG, and KIA Motors — companies that meddle in the international market and bring innovation to the fore.

Globalisation has been just as guilty of enforcing this divide as it is the means by which it should be addressed. The rate at which technology is advancing poses two distinct questions: 1)How can developing countries effectively utilise these andvancements to build their social human capacity at all levels… 2)If the world is constantly relying on technology from the developed countries to thrive, what hope does the developing world have of playing more than just catch-up and a bit-part role in international affairs?

In my opinion, if there is anything positive about globalisation, it is that it has made it much easier for knowledge to be shared and skills to be learned.

This leads me to firstly concede that the battle for electronic supremecy has been long lost, and secondly to assert that battles must be waged on other fronts. Most developing countries are agricultural-based — this fact seems to have a relatively strong correlation to social education levels. However, agricultural techniques in most areas still tend to lag behind innovation, putting a cap on efficiency and yields. Understandably, education methods and techniques tend to lag in some areas without access to constant reliable electricity, technology and teacher-training — placing a cap on youth potential throughout much of the developing world, particularly the rural parts. Nevertheless, the students who do make it out and find opportunities one way or another are very very bright and capable. A testament of sorts to those left behind.

Thus, building our human capacity should be of the utmost importance to our society. Working to achieve universal access to energy and quality affordable education for all will be the foundation of our future development. This foundation will have a direct impact on the progress we make in upgrading our existing agricultural systems by utilising modern techniques for greater efficiency, yields, and storage. Modern education for all will ensure that the people have the CAPACITY to achieve whatever they thrive for, as opposed to waiting on the government to feed, clothe them all and give them opportunities for advancement. In this regard the saying “give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime” strongly applies. Governments in developing countries, if they have any task at all, must take a leading role in conjunction with private sector stake holders in teaching and training people in various sectors to acquire the skills necessary to thrive in the modern international environment. SUPPORT SUPPORT SUPPORT. Focusing on directly and firmly developing human capacity is imperative to the future of all countries — developing and developed — for the developed will lag (stagnate) without focusing on continually and dynamically developing their human capacity, and the developing will stay as such for eternity.