Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO) on Tuesday called on African leaders to reposition the continent's developmental priorities to meet the global information, communication and technology (ICT) challenges.
He said: "It is clear that ICTs now form the basis for manpower development in a knowledge economy and there is the exigency to reposition Africa for the unfolding challenge for rapid growth.
"From East to West, North to South Africa, the growing inseparable link between ICT and the marketplace is captured by the rapid deployment of Economic Resources Planning (ERP) in the corporate world," Dr Spio-Garbrah stated at a public lecture in Accra.
The lecture, organised by the Ghana Renewal Institute (GRI), in collaboration with the Centre for e-Governance and the African Cancer Organisation was on the general theme; "Ghana's Future: An Electronic Agenda for Human Resources Development."
Dr. Spio-Garbrah said the emerging knowledge economy demands that co-operate organisations make conscious and concerted efforts to upgrade the knowledge base as well as re-skill their human capital base with requisite ICT capabilities and capacities.
He said Ghana has a bright future if it took the right Human Resource (HR) decisions.
It needs to exploit cautiously finite Human Resource which is an asset that can grow and appreciate in value, as more knowledge and skills are acquired.
The CTO boss called for a national-focused leadership that would mobilise all of the nation's HR, irrespective of political persuasion for major global onslaught.
"We need to de-emphasize partisan political differences, encourage industry, government, and academia to work together," he said.
On the way forward for the nation, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, who is a leading member of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) called on government to use HR as pivot for national development.
He also suggested the establishment of clear national vision, develop the capacity to assemble team to make the national vision work, unite Ghanaians for attainment of common goals.
Determine that the nation shall be a knowledge based economy, develop a national strategy plan for Information Communication Education, produce a human capital development master plan that involves industry, academia and government.
The rest includes ensuring earliest access to ICT and electronic literacy, overhaul of the content of the educational system, increase distance and life-long learning, promote e-Government, tele-medicine and rural connectivity and construct and develop a global network of Ghanaian professionals.
Dr. Spio-Garbrah urged national leadership to have the courage to take very difficult decisions based on integrity, transparency and accountability as well as knowledge to negotiate in Ghana's interest.
"We must promote merit over self-interest, maintain national interest at all times, keep faith with citizens over promises, develop national succession plan and hand over peacefully when your party loses the election," he said.
Professor C. N. B. Tagoe, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana and Dr Letitia Obeng, President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences jointly chaired the lectures, attended by the academia, journalists, politicians, lawyers, students, parliamentarians and cross section of the public.