Skills development is key to unlocking future

The recently concluded Africa Skills Week (ASW), held from October 14 to 18, 2024, in Accra, Ghana, was a defining moment for the future of Africa’s youth.

It brought to the fore the urgent need for effective skills development and robust Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes, especially as Africa prepares for a major demographic shift. 

By 2050, the continent’s youthful workforce is expected to double to 1.6 billion, placing immense pressure on educational and employment systems.

For far too long, Africa’s education systems have been skewed toward traditional academic routes, often neglecting the practical, skills-based training provided by TVET.

This imbalance has created a gap between the skills youth acquire and the needs of the labour market. During ASW, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara, aptly captured this issue. He stressed the need for a paradigm shift, emphasising that success should no longer be seen as exclusive to university graduates.

To fully unlock Africa’s potential, vocational training must be equally celebrated. The African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2016-2025) is already laying the groundwork for this transformation, advocating for education systems that align with employment opportunities.

CESA underlines the importance of quality skills development for sustainable employability, reflecting a global shift towards skills-oriented education. Some African nations, like Ghana, have made strides by creating centres of excellence to equip young people with skills relevant to emerging industries, yet much remains to be done.

Underfunding, inadequate infrastructure, and societal biases against vocational careers continue to pose significant challenges.

Many African countries struggle with under-resourced education systems, limiting the scope and quality of TVET programmes.

The call for increased investment in TVET echoed loudly during ASW, with participants urging governments and international partners to prioritise funding for vocational training.

If Africa’s youth are to meet the demands of future job markets, this investment is non-negotiable. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is rapidly changing the nature of work, driven by automation, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence. This shift has intensified the need for educational institutions to adapt their curricula to include emerging technologies. 

Discussions during Africa Skills Week emphasised that skills development must now go beyond traditional craftsmanship, integrating digital literacy and entrepreneurial training into vocational programmes. Policymakers, educators, and industry leaders agreed on the urgency of aligning training with labour market trends.

ASW served as a powerful platform for collaboration, creating opportunities for partnerships between governments, civil society organisations, educational institutions, and the private sector. The exchange of best practices from countries that have successfully integrated TVET into their national strategies was invaluable.

Such knowledge sharing is crucial in shaping policies that reflect local realities and cater to Africa’s diverse needs. Another critical focus of the event was youth empowerment. It was recognised that young people must be more than just passive recipients of training; they need to be active participants in shaping their futures.

Initiatives aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and self-employment among graduates were spotlighted as vital pathways to job creation and economic resilience.

Africa’s youth are brimming with potential, and empowering them to create their own opportunities is key to driving socio-economic transformation.

As we reflect on the outcomes of this landmark event, it is clear that skills development and TVET will play pivotal roles in securing Africa’s future prosperity.

By investing in these areas, we can build resilient educational systems that offer inclusive, lifelong, and relevant learning opportunities for all.

The trajectory of TVET will be critical in guiding millions of young Africans toward sustainable livelihoods, unlocking the continent’s vast potential for growth and development .The time for action is now. Africa’s future depends on it.