President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to officially open Africa Skills Week in Harare on Monday, with discussions set to focus on the loss of skilled professionals to overseas markets and the growing gap between training and industry needs.
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Read E-PaperThe week-long event comes as Zimbabwe intensifies efforts to identify skills shortages through its National Skills Audit and skills mapping exercise, which seeks to establish the country’s available expertise and develop measures to retain qualified workers.
African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Gaspard Banyankimbona, who arrived in Zimbabwe over the weekend, said the continent was losing valuable skills to developed countries while local industries continued to face shortages of qualified personnel.
“We are facing a paradox. Africa is the youngest continent but we are losing our best competencies to the global north. We have a mismatch between what our TVET institutions produce and what our labour market and industry demand,” he said.
Professor Banyankimbona called for stronger cooperation among African countries to address the challenge, including the recognition of qualifications across borders and the alignment of competency-based training programmes.
He said efforts under the African Union’s Agenda 2063 should go beyond producing graduates and focus on retaining skilled workers while providing opportunities for reskilling and further training.
Skills Audit and Development Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said Zimbabwe was hosting the event at a time when the country was working to address gaps identified through its first comprehensive Critical Skills Audit.
The assessment identified shortages in key areas, including engineering, artisan trades, healthcare and information and communication technology.
“We are moving from paper qualifications to competencies. The President has been clear, we must audit, develop and retain,” Dr Muswere said.
He said the findings from the national audit would help authorities distinguish between areas facing skills shortages and those with a surplus of qualified personnel, allowing for more targeted interventions.
Africa Skills Week is expected to provide a platform for African countries to exchange expertise, share labour market information and develop common approaches to retaining skilled professionals.
Zimbabwe is also pursuing a skills retention strategy that includes improving conditions of service, supporting entrepreneurship, promoting heritage-based education and strengthening partnerships between training institutions and industry.
President Mnangagwa is expected to highlight the importance of investing in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, as well as recognising skills acquired through practical experience.
The measures are aimed at building a workforce capable of supporting industrialisation, reducing reliance on imports and increasing local production and value addition.
The event will bring together African ministers responsible for education and labour, industry representatives, vocational training authorities and development partners to explore ways of strengthening the continent’s skills base.
Discussions will centre on ensuring that investment in education and training translates into employment opportunities, industrial growth and broader economic development across Africa.
