By HOPE BWALYA –

AGRICULTURE Minister Given Lubinda has called for increased investment in human capital to enhance economic growth.
Mr Lubinda said to guarantee social and economic progression, Zambia needed to invest heavily in human capital as it was a driver of economic growth.
Mr Lubinda said this in a speech read for him by Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) principal Alice Tembo during the launch of the ‘e-Capacities Africa platform.’
The e-Capacities is a web-based platform that subscribes to the genre of management information systems.
It is a programme fostered by the capacity development unit under the Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA).
“The quality of human capital determines the economic development of a country. Every progressive country in modern times has invested consciously and heavily in targeted human capital development to drive economic growth,” Mr Lubinda said.
The investment in human capital, especially in the agriculture sector, would alleviate the pressure that would be encountered as a result of population growth.
According to the 2014 population statistics of Africa, the continent is set to have a population of 1.6 billion by 2030 – surpassing India and China.
Mr Lubinda said that the increased population would cause urbanisation and degradation of the ecosystem.
He called for enhanced science in order to boost productivity in the agriculture sector to cushion the pressure.
And FARA capacity development unit in charge Nelson Ojijo said the platform would serve as an interaction ground for employers, students, institutions and job seekers.
Dr Ojijo said the system would also enable institutions to produce capable individuals that would satisfy the employers’ demands.
“The platform will serve as interface of feedback from employers so that schools could use the feedback to restructure their curriculum or courses to suit the needs and demands of the employer,” he said.