The idea of human capital from Gary Becker’s work originates from the observation that ‘’ schooling develops certain qualities in people and these qualities enhance productivity and economic growth (Becker ,2009).
The human capital is the set of knowledge and skills an individual possess (Riotte,2019). The nation’s economi value is measured by the knowledge and embodied in individuals. In turn those individuals become an asset for the nation in terms of productivity.
However, in many countries in Africa the issues of identities (religion, ethnicity or gender) remain an obstacle to explore individuals’ potentials. For example,being represented by a co-ethnic president provides some citizens with both a sense of associated with their degrees a positive attachment to the nation (Koter,2019).
Ethnicity is a tradition that is maintained between generations of people and provides a sense og belonging to a community. However, ethnicity is also defined as a product of human being imagination that often undermines social cohesion among citizens of the same nation in terms of equitable distribution of resources ( Defrin et al.2011; Barthe,1969; sharp, 1988; Steward, 2009; Fraser,2005). In addition, the issue of stereotype, continue to persist among communities and affect the process of equity of disadvantaged ethnic groups. Stereotypes, are defined as a personal mental construct that embodies bigotry, fear, racism, irrationality, animosity and hatred towards a specific group within the society (Mamdani,1996 , Steward,2009). Drawing on these observation,Alonso (1995) points out that ethnicity is seen as a weed in a garden that will never disappear. In other words, despite the faceless status of identities (religion, ethnicity, gender) people are consciously or unconscioully attached to their identities.
Furthermore, the most important asset of a country is not found in the possession of raw materials or natural resources but in the intellectual skill and competences. The persistence of African countries dependency on the expatriate from the west remain serious concerns. For example, in 1990, Burkina-Faso employed 800 expatriates, while an equal number of Burkinabe graduates were unemployed (2019:13). In the same vein, Mutume (2003) maintains that despite, the decades of independence, there is a reflex of external technical assistance , where African government and donors rarely consider reaching out local qualified intellectuals resources and skills.
To conclude, a person’s identities are constructed through for example religious, inter-ethnic marriage, which has always remained choiceless for every human being. However, we can choose our religion during our life, but we can never change our ethnicity. The paradox is that, in Sub Saharan Africa, degrees, certificates or diploma seem to poisonous when political regimes shift in terms of getting access to an employment.
References
Alonso, W(1995) Citizenship, Nationality and Other Identities, SAGE
Barth, F. (1969) Ethnic Groups and Boundaries, SAGE
Defrin, R. (2011) Interactions Among Sex, Ethnicity, Religion, and Gender Role Expectation of Pain, Routledge
Fraser, N(2005) Reframing justice in a globalized world, New left Review
Koter (2019) Ethnic Politics, Routledge
Mamdani, M (1996) Citizenship and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the legacy of the late colonialism, Princeton University Press
Mutume,G( 2003) Inverser la fuite des cerveaux Africains: De nombreux projets font appels aux compétences des expatriés africain, Afrique Renouveau
Riotte,F.( 2019) Le capital Humain dans les projets de développement, Editions Universitaires Européennes.
Stewart, F. (2009) Religion versus Ethnicity as a source of Mobilisation: Are there differences Microcon
Sharp,J(1988) Ethnic Group and Nation, The Apartheid vision of South Africa David Philip