By Franklin Asare-Donkoh
The Chairman of the Joint Committees of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, has urged West African countries to shift from certificate-based education systems to more practical, skills-focused learning.
He warned that the region’s over-reliance on academic certificates is failing young people and limiting economic growth.
Mr Ricketts-Hagan, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South and Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament of Ghana, said unlocking the region’s demographic potential requires education systems that integrate digital literacy, green skills and entrepreneurial thinking at all levels.
Speaking at the opening of a delocalised meeting of the ECOWAS Joint Committees in Lomé, he said labour markets in the sub-region are evolving faster than current educational curricula.
“The sub-regional labour markets are shifting faster than our curricula,” he said. “The widening gap between training and opportunity creates a troubling paradox: vacancies without skilled applicants and graduates without jobs.”
Mr Ricketts-Hagan described the situation as a structural disconnect between what students are taught in classrooms and what regional economies require. He said the problem is being worsened by rapid technological change, high youth unemployment and climate-related challenges.
Call for reforms
To address the challenge, he proposed a multi-pronged strategy aimed at making education a driver of economic transformation rather than a passive responder to it.
He called for the strengthening and institutionalisation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) across the region.
He also urged continuous curriculum reviews developed in partnership with the private sector.
“Education must not merely follow economic transformation; it must drive it. Achieving this requires structured and continuous dialogue between ministers of education and labour, alongside private sector leaders and academic institutions,” he said.
According to him, aligning education with the needs of agriculture, industry and the digital economy will help build a workforce that is adaptable and globally competitive.
Question for policymakers
Mr Ricketts-Hagan also posed a critical question to policymakers and stakeholders.
“Are our curricula designed to equip learners with the adaptability, emotional intelligence and ethical grounding required to succeed, or are we merely preparing them to pass examinations?” he asked.
He said the answer to that question would determine the success of any educational reform.
The lawmaker added that addressing the challenge will require evidence-based policymaking, significant investment in teacher training and the integration of emerging technologies in education.
“As Chairman of the Committee on Education, Science and Culture, I can assure you of our unwavering commitment to placing education at the heart of our socio-economic transformation,” he said.
The meeting in Lomé is expected to produce key recommendations aimed at harmonising educational standards across the ECOWAS region to better meet the demands of the 21st-century economy.
