Ghanaian lawmaker, George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, has called on West African nations to urgently overhaul their education systems, warning that excessive reliance on academic certificates is failing both the region’s youth and its economies.
Chairman of the Joint Committees on Education, Science and Culture, Health, and Telecommunications & Information Technology at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, he said the region must transition from “credential-oriented systems to competency-driven frameworks.”
Speaking at the opening of a delocalised meeting of the Joint Committees in Lomé, Togo, he stressed that West Africa must redesign its education systems to produce graduates with digital literacy, green skills, and entrepreneurial thinking.
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“We must shift from credential-oriented systems to competency-driven frameworks,” he stated.
The meeting, held under the theme “Strengthening curriculum alignment with socio-economic needs of the ECOWAS Region,” brought together lawmakers to examine the widening disconnect between education and employment.
According to Ricketts-Hagan, labour markets across West Africa are evolving faster than the region’s educational systems.
“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.”
He described the situation as a structural disconnect between what students learn in classrooms and what regional economies require.
The challenge, he added, is compounded by rapid technological disruption, rising youth unemployment, and climate vulnerability across the region.
To address the mismatch between education and employment, Ricketts-Hagan proposed a comprehensive reform agenda.
He called for the urgent expansion and institutionalisation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a central pillar of education reform.
The lawmaker also urged governments to conduct curriculum reviews in partnership with the private sector to ensure graduates acquire relevant skills.
“Education must not merely follow economic transformation; it must drive it,” he said.
He emphasized the need for structured, ongoing dialogue among ministers responsible for education and labour, private-sector leaders, and academic institutions.
According to him, aligning education with sectors such as agriculture, industry, and the digital economy will help produce a workforce that is adaptable, innovative, and globally competitive.
Ricketts-Hagan challenged policymakers to rethink the fundamental purpose of education in the region.
“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 noted that the answer to this question would ultimately determine whether education reforms succeed or fail.
Education Key to Regional Transformation
The ECOWAS lawmaker said meaningful reform would require evidence-based policymaking, major investments in teacher training, and the integration of emerging technologies into learning systems.
“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 concluded.
The meeting in Lomé is expected to produce key policy recommendations aimed at harmonising educational standards across ECOWAS and equipping young people with skills needed for the 21st-century economy.
By Kwaku Sakyi-Danso