On 20 October 2026, I presented a keynote at the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Psychosocial Wellbeing (ETPW) at the University of Namibia in Windhoek. My topic was what the capability approach can contribute to sustainable employability and well-being in Africa.
Asking a different question
Alongside asking how people feel and function, we need to ask what they have a real opportunity to do and become. Two people may have similar qualifications and access to resources, yet very different opportunities to use their skills, influence decisions, build meaningful relationships or contribute to work they value.
What the capability approach adds
The capability approach helps us understand these differences:
Resources matter, but their value depends on whether people can convert them into real opportunities.
Personal circumstances, organisational practices and wider social conditions all shape that conversion.
Having an opportunity is different from choosing to pursue it, so agency and freedom of choice remain central.
Sustainable employability over time
For sustainable employability, this means asking whether people can keep achieving the things they value in work over time. Health and competence matter. So do working conditions that let people learn, participate, contribute and earn a decent living.
Why this matters in Africa
This lens is especially relevant in African contexts marked by inequality and constrained opportunity. It directs our attention to the conditions that make flourishing possible, and to whose opportunities remain restricted.
A question to take away
The question I left with the audience is one for research and practice alike: are we creating environments in which people have the freedom to pursue work and lives they have reason to value?
Thank you to the UNAM organisers and to everyone who engaged so thoughtfully.
Download the presentation here.
