The Role of Educational Institutions in Generating Inclusive Economic Development in Ghana

Educational institutions are a key part of developing a country’s labor force. In order to build inclusive economic growth, it is imperative to mobilize and strengthen education not just in urban areas but in rural and remote areas of the country as well. It is also important to highlight the various forms of education available that are needed to properly train and shape a nation’s human resources. There are five branches of educational institutions that are responsible for developing a country’s skilled labor: academic, vocational, professional development, continuing, and extension education. 

Academic and vocational, are both forms of formal education that typically are defined in opposition to one another. Academic education, which refers to formal tertiary education applied typically in universities and colleges, focuses on theoretical and specialized learning rather than developing a trade skill. Academic education is essential, not only for the individual as it typically leads to higher-paying jobs but also for the country’s overall economic growth as it leads to employment in higher-skilled, higher-earning positions. Vocational education is another form of formal education that focuses on training the individual in a specific trade. Vocational education is particularly important as it allows the student to immediately enter the workforce. 

Professional development is another less well-known, but equally important branch of education. It refers to efforts put into maintaining one’s credentials and skills as your field evolves or improves. This can be done formally or informally, either through conferences, courses, or even just in practice. Professional development is imperative in keeping one’s skill set up to date and relevant in one’s given field. Continuing education is very similar to professional development in that it is generally meant for professionals who have already left the formal education system and are seeking to expand or retain their credentials. Continuing education is specifically part of the formal education system, usually offering credit and a university transcript. And, can be particularly useful if the individual needs to meet higher requirements for licensing purposes. 

Lastly, extension education is pertinent in places where there are a lot of agriculture and forest landowners. Extension education is particularly prominent in the agricultural sector and mainly includes adopting new innovations and techniques, improving management skills, incorporating indigenous technical knowledge, and ameliorating evaluation and impact assessments. Extension education is primarily important for rural areas as formal educational institutions have been traditionally confined to urban areas. Extension education allows for applied and professional development in a more inclusive and democratic manner as it often focuses on meeting the student where they are. 

All five of these branches of education are responsible for developing the skilled labor force that then feeds into various career clusters, meaning the general industries and fields that make up a country’s economy, whether that be agriculture, finance, government, hospitality, or tourism. In other words, these educational institutions are creating the business owners, the managers, and the skilled labor of a country’s workforce, thus making their role in the business and economic ecosystem undeniably important. However, inclusive education and economic development in Ghana face many challenges, especially between rural and urban areas. Even if all of these educational branches are mobilized, the spread of education is limited and access to it is still unequal. This obstacle could be addressed via the digitalization of education, which could help develop tools to enhance the collection and distribution of knowledge. And the viability of this solution is contingent on increased access to technology. Thus, it will be important to develop the Information Communications Technology (ICT) sector, as ICT is key to bridging the knowledge gap by helping to modernize, mechanize, and scale necessary educational and training tools to ease the facilitation of better business practices, allowing business to grow forward faster!

¹ Singh, A., & Burman, R. (2019). Agricultural Extension Reforms in South Asia. doi: 10.1016/c2018-0-03987-0

Authored by Lale Ceylan

SGI’s International Relations & Development Working Group