Accra, Ghana: For Africa to realise its immense potential – and address the anticipated doubling of its youth workforce to 1.6-billion people by 2050 – technical and vocational education and training (TVET) must be championed, delegates to the first-ever Africa Skills Week (ASW) conference heard today.
ASW takes place in Accra from October 14th to 18th. It is hosted by the Government of Ghana in partnership with the African Union (AU); supported by Germany through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); International Labour Organization (ILO); UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; World Bank; Ghana’s Commission for TVET (CTVET); and Ghana’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
The theme for the five-day conference is “Skills and jobs for the 21st century: quality skills development for sustainable employability in Africa.”
In a keynote address, Sierra Leonean Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara told the audience that Africa has the youngest population in the world, and that over 60% of Africa’s current population is younger than 25 years of age.
He continued that “we have to brace for the imagined challenges as well as the opportunities for growth and social transformation, that the imminent doubling of the continent’s young working-age population will bring.”
In his experience in Sierra Leone, and elsewhere, tertiary education has previously focused too heavily on producing graduates for white-collar occupations instead of on the vital, skills-based training that TVET education provides.
“This mindset has to change,” he continued, explaining how his country had created its Ministry of Technical and Higher Education precisely to address this issue, as well as TVET colleges and centres of excellence. These interventions are set to address the skills needed for seven economic priority areas identified by a labour market survey, with the aim of creating 500 000 jobs for young Sierra Leoneans.
Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, head of Ghana’s CTVET, echoed Mr. Aziz-Kamara’s words around the necessity for planning for the continent’s skills future, asking, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is almost ending, and what is Africa doing if our working population is doubling in the next 26 years?”
He hailed this maiden ASW, the first such event on the continent, as an important step in addressing this question.
“This week is not for Ghana; this week is for Africa,” he said, applauding the AU’s initiative in driving ASW.
A youthful voice in support of ASW came from Ghanaian Ms Asimawu Tahiru, a youth leader with the Global Partnership for Education, the only partnership worldwide dedicated to funding education in lower-income countries.
“TVET functional literacy has made huge impacts in my life … I am an example [of its worth],” Ms Tahiru told the audience. She said this is why she is determined to promote TVET widely, especially for young women.
“I [believe] there should be an investment in TVET sectors,” Ms Tahiru said, calling for greater TVET funding.
The official opening of Africa Skills Week takes place on 15 October 2024, with a keynote address by the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Africa Skills Week (ASW) aims to catalyse action towards improving systems, processes and policies to drive the transformation of skills development across the continent, so that Africans can be future-fit to adapt to the demands of the 21st-century workplace. The AU aims to institutionalise ASW as part of a broader effort to implement its Agenda 2063 blueprint and build resilient, transformative education and skills ecosystems across Africa.
The need for such a continent-wide intervention is highlighted by the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2016-2025), the Continental Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education). Africa’s growing working-age population is predicted to treble by 2050, and African nations are creating an unparalleled talent pool as their expanding population becomes more educated. As such, the AU wants to improve educational and career opportunities for Africa’s young labour population.
Africa’s journey towards economic prosperity depends significantly on integrating education and skills development with employment opportunities, particularly with regard to the TVET skills that will be in demand. Africa Skills Week aims to drive policy action and share best practices in skills development by leaders and innovators on the continent.
Event objectives
Africa Skills Week 2024 seeks to:
- Strengthen TVET systems across Africa by fostering collaboration between key stakeholders
- Promote private sector engagement in the development of sustainable and industry-relevant skills
- Highlight green skills, sustainability and innovation in the training of the future workforce
- Showcase best practices and success stories from TVET institutions across the continent
- Facilitate policy dialogues on shaping the future of Africa’s workforce, preparing it to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving global economy
Key activities
- High-level opening session: the conference will convene a high-level opening session featuring government officials from the host country, senior officials of the African Union Commission and AUDA-NEPAD, and other partner organisations
- Policy dialogues/peer learning forums: ASW will bring together policymakers, practitioners, employers, development partners, civil society organisations and the youth to discuss policy priorities, challenges and opportunities in skills development
- Thematic workshops and seminars: partners are invited to contribute to the sessions focusing on key themes such as TVET governance, digitalisation, TVET In fragile contexts, apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, migration, green skills and inclusive TVET. The sessions will feature presentations, panel discussions and interactive elements
- Skills exhibition: the skills week will showcase innovative projects, technologies and initiatives in skills development through a virtual or physical exhibition, providing participants with hands-on experiences and networking opportunities. An awards ceremony will recognise outstanding achievements in skills development through the Innovating Education in Africa 2024 programme
- Youth summit: ASW will engage young people through youth-led sessions, competitions, hackathons and career fairs, designed to inspire, empower and connect them with mentors and opportunities for skills development and employment (Youth Pavilion)
- Study tour: visits will be organised to specific skills development institutions and/or industries for participants to learn first-hand from their peers how challenges were solved or solutions implemented
- Country-level action to commemorate ASW: skills development and employment-focused actions will be undertaken by Member States to celebrate the week. The AU and Member States will map country-level actions, and the Member States are encouraged to share details of country-focused events
Key participants
- African Union (AU)
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
- UNESCO
- GIZ
- World Bank
- Government of Ghana
- Commission for TVET, Ghana
- Ministry of Education, Ghana
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana
- Other key stakeholders
