Opinion: People and Experience — A Nation’s Greatest Assets

“A nation’s greatest wealth is not beneath its soil, but in the people whose knowledge and judgment sustain its future.” Prof. Amina Mohamed

Ask a government to name its greatest asset, and the answers often come quickly: land, minerals, ports, livestock, oil or a long coastline. All matter, but each can be lost, damaged or exhausted. One asset can renew itself while multiplying the value of everything else: people.

Among them are educated and experienced professionals whose contribution is often underestimated until they are gone. A country does not function through buildings, budgets and laws alone. It depends on people who know how to turn those resources into results.

A hospital needs practitioners who can make sound clinical decisions. A ministry needs officials who understand how institutions work. Without protecting such people, sustainable development remains out of reach.

Who Is the Country’s Greatest Asset?#

People are a country’s foundation, while education and experience turn their potential into strength. A population provides labour, creativity and the next generation. Education equips people with knowledge and skills. Experience gives those skills judgment, helping hospitals, schools, courts and public institutions function under pressure.

These elements reinforce one another. People need security and opportunity; professionals need workplaces where their abilities are valued and their successors can learn. Neglect any one of these foundations, and the entire structure weakens.

The People Come First#

A state’s first responsibility is to protect its people. Those who are safe, healthy and treated fairly can study, work, raise families and contribute to national development. Those living with violence, hunger or displacement are forced to devote their energy to survival.

Protection extends beyond security to clean water, healthcare, education, equal treatment under the law and opportunities based on merit. These are conditions for economic development.

When they are absent, societies lose more than income. They lose confidence, trust and the ability to plan for the future. Rebuilding those qualities can take longer than replacing physical infrastructure.

Education Is an Investment#

Training a doctor, engineer, teacher, lawyer or scientist takes years of study, family sacrifice and institutional support. That investment should not end with graduation. Professionals also need employment, fair treatment and opportunities to develop their skills.

When qualified graduates are left unemployed, poorly paid or unable to practise safely, a country wastes resources already invested in them. When they leave because they see no future at home, other countries benefit from their training while their communities lose urgently needed expertise.

This is why retaining talent matters, particularly in fragile states. Yet education alone is not enough. A qualification provides essential knowledge; years of responsible practice develop the judgment required to use it wisely.

Experience Cannot Be Rushed#

A newly qualified doctor brings current knowledge and the determination to learn. A doctor with decades of practice brings something additional: the ability to recognize difficult cases, weigh uncertainty and decide when to act or wait. That judgment develops through repeated decisions, reflection and lessons learned over time.

The same applies to an engineer who has managed complex projects, a teacher who has guided generations of students, or an administrator who has led an institution through crises. Their value extends beyond technical knowledge to understanding what works, what fails and why.

Experience cannot be produced by a short course or an impressive title. It must be built, respected and transferred. When an experienced professional leaves without mentoring others, valuable institutional knowledge may leave too.

Experienced Doctors Sustain Healthcare#

Medicine illustrates the stakes particularly clearly. Young doctors need senior colleagues who can supervise procedures, discuss uncertain diagnoses and demonstrate professional standards. Clinical judgment is strengthened through practice alongside people who have faced similar challenges before.

Experienced doctors also help hospitals function during emergencies, shortages and periods of uncertainty. They support difficult decisions, mentor junior colleagues, uphold ethical standards and inform health policy through direct knowledge of patients’ needs.