President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Johnny C. Taylor, has emphasised the importance of human capital, which must be prioritised to enhance Africa’s economic potential.

Taylor, who delivered the keynote address at the Global Conference on Human Resources in Africa (GCHRA) which took place from October 24-25, 2024, at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, mentioned that Africa’s population must be treated like its financial capital.

“The most important thing for us to do is to recognise that Africa would be the most populated continent in the world by 2050. This means we must start valuing human beings like we value financial capital, as they are the most crucial assets every economy requires. Our focus will be on the importance of human resources in the global economy,” Taylor noted.

He also touched on the importance of Human Resource, which he believes is the ideal profession as it helps to facilitate the world of work.

“HR is the ideal profession as it ensures that people are able to work in the right environment, paid fairly, treated decently, and as HR practitioners, we do our best to make sure every person is ultimately impacted by an HR professional,” he explained.

Johnny C. Taylor further talked about the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which he said has transformed the world of work and changed the Human Resource profession.

The Global Conference on Human Resources in Africa was held on the theme; “A Global Discourse on Exploring the Emergence and Dynamics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Resource Technologies in Africa.”

It brought together global participants, including HR professionals, tech enthusiasts, and industry leaders to share valuable insights on how AI and HR technologies can be leveraged to promote growth and innovation in Africa’s workplaces.

Johnny C. Taylor was joined by over 15 global speakers, including Irene Asare, Global HR Executive and board member at the BBC News (U.K. and Ghana); David Ssegawa, Group Human Resources Director at Equity Bank Limited (Kenya); Emily M. Dickens, Head of Government Affairs and Chief of Staff at SHRM (U.S.); Dr. Francis Eduku, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management (CIHRM); Dr. Najat El Mahdy, Chair of the Qatar HR Forum and Director of Strategy, Organizational Development, and HR at Qatar Financial Centre Regulation Authority (QFCRA) (Qatar); Samuel Brooksworth, Founder and CEO of Remoteli; Fatoumata Doro, Former MD of Vlisco, Ecobank Board Member (Niger); and Farida Bedwei, Platform Product Consultant at Digital Opportunity Trust and Former Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft (Ghana).

Other speakers include Toyosi Odukoya, Sr. Director of Program Operations and Planning at Mastercard Foundation (Nigeria); Prathan Powell Jr., CEO and President of Black in HR (U.S.); Winnie Frimpong, Lead People Scientist and Business Psychologist, Formerly with CultureAmp (U.K.); Khyati Sundaram, CEO of Applied (U.K.); and Khaled Sassi, CEO of Novative (Switzerland).

Watch Johnny C. Taylor's full address below:



MA