Globalized Workforce Development and Responsible Global Citizenship through e-Literacy Capacity Building Programs for Low Income African Countries

Introduction

The exponential global impact on workforce development as well as the politico-social changes occasioned by the agricultural/industrial revolution era makes global interaction a familiar issue, with perhaps, different connotations for the two global economic divides (haves and have-nots). At that time there was explicit coercive muscle drain from the colonized territories (have-nots) to the imperial lands (haves). Several cruel methods and policies were employed by the rich and powerful (haves) to balkanize and exploit the colonized peoples of the world. Whereas previous global interactions had questionable imperialists’ intentions for the colonized territories, its poor human right fallouts created appalling feelings on the moral spectrum of thinking global citizens. It is against this backdrop that some civil rights activists resent globalization. Be that as it may, various forms of economic thoughts have been acclaimed to guide the actions of governments of different independent nations namely, capitalism, communism, socialism, and the mix economies. These economic thoughts have faced serious litmus tests in the recent past, collapse of Russian socialism and, questionable state of China’s communism and the bedridden condition of capitalism in United States of America, such that economists are in doubt on the practical relevance of these countries’ claims to be abiding by any of these economic principles. Hence this chapter would refrain from discussing the needed reengineering of the world economic order from the framework of any of the aforementioned economic thoughts rather the focus would be to institute an ethical basis to develop the workforce potentials of low income countries in a manner that would optimize their human capitals and guarantee responsible global citizenship for all.

The workforce development experiences of countries in Asia occasioned by outsourcing and recent trends on globalization in which cost reduction informs contracting foreign supply of service/parts/products, have proved profitable for low income countries. Incidental or not, outsourcing as fallout of globalization by high income countries has proved a veritable source of direct foreign investment, technological learning, reverse engineering as well as capacity building for skilled workforce in these countries. Specifically, Japan, and lately India and China have gained immensely from outsourcing in information communication technology. The developments of human capitals in information communication technology (ICT) in these countries have been phenomenal. It is noteworthy that governments of these countries pursued diligently policies that engendered sustainable workforce development of ICT professionals. The result among others is increased income per capital and relatively more responsible participation in global affairs by citizens from that region.