Inclusive Development in Africa – Harnessing Youth Potential through Talent - Driven Human Capital Development

Yıl 2021, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1, 41 - 51, 01.04.2021

Liz Ng'ang'a

Öz

In Africa, there is need for a more inclusive and holistic approach to
development. Such a vision should have at its heart the enhancement of
productive employment for the continent’s bulging youth population. To
achieve this goal, it may be desirable to shift to a talent-driven approach to
human capital development. But, globally, talent management remains an
under-researched topic: the concept of talent is ambiguous, and, while
exciting, talent identification is a challenge for many institutions. As such,
tactical alignment of talent identification practices with specific talent
definitions, and ultimately, distinct developmental aims, is needed. This
paper presents two initiatives: the African Regional Postgraduate
Programme in Insect Science (ARPPIS) and Nematology Africa (Nem
Africa), as examples of talent co-anchoring frameworks. Both have been
successful in identifying individuals that are willing, able and motivated
to work in specific fields of scientific research and development, and to
match supply and demand in those areas. Further investigations of these
two initiatives could help unravel underlying mechanisms of talent
identification. In addition, and drawing from personal experiences, this
paper proposes two ideas that could enable holistic talent identification.
First, is the incorporation of the biographical method, a technique that aims
to understand and attribute meaning to stories of individuals. Second, is
the acceptance of the importance of the “gut instinct” factor, the intuitive
judgements made by talent managers without conscious thought.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Talent management, talent development, Africa; inclusive development, Africa socio-economic transformation, science, technology and innovation

Kaynakça

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