The acting executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has called for more government investment in education and a productive workforce to ensure industrial growth and development in Africa.

"In order for the continent to create a comprehensive and adaptable skillset, it is necessary to prioritize certain prerequisites, such as better budget allocation for education and targeted technical training, as well as ensuring a favorable political environment," said António Pedro, during the side meetings that UNECA held in New York, on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly.

The substitution of capacities through technical assistance and the use of external consultants, service providers and other forms of capacity building allows industrial competencies to be quickly mobilized for the start-up of projects, argues UNECA, quoted by Lusa.

"It is vital that African countries take steps to transfer core skills that are critical to strategic sectors," he said, calling for the implementation of strategies and practical measures to safeguard and retain key national skills and stressing the importance of keeping talent in African countries.

"A country's prosperity depends on a productive workforce, which in turn is based on the skills it possesses and the efficiency with which it uses them," he said.

According to the UNECA leader, African countries must integrate talent, creativity and entrepreneurship into the formal economy, while providing guidance, training and technical assistance to enable people in the informal sector to contribute to the formal skills pool.

"The development of specialized skills doesn't happen in a vacuum, it needs policies that tackle the serious shortage of industrial knowledge and professional capacity, which are essential for achieving sustainable development," he concluded.