Africa launches 10-year skills plan to tackle youth jobs crisis

Students engaged in hands-on technical and vocational training, equipping themselves with practical skills for future job opportunities.

More than one million young people enter Africa’s labour market every month without job-relevant skills, leaving up to 86 per cent of available jobs in the informal sector.

The Africa Skills for Jobs Policy Academy, scheduled from 30 September to 3 October in Nairobi, will bring together policymakers, World Bank task team leaders and private sector representatives to develop actionable reforms for technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

“Africa’s youth need hands-on and quality technical and vocational education to thrive in a rapidly changing labour market. TVET can be a catalyst for economic growth and social inclusion when aligned with industry demands,” noted Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona, Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa.

Ndiame Diop, Regional Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Bank Group, explained, “The Skills for Jobs Africa Policy Academy brings governments, industry and development partners together to co-create solutions and reforms that will lay the foundation to ensure a bright future for Africa’s youth and future generations.”

The forum will coincide with the launch of the African Continental TVET Strategy 2025–2034 and focus on sectors including agribusiness, energy, health, manufacturing and tourism.

Organisers aim to examine emerging skills demands and share evidence-based approaches to reform education and training systems.

Persistent challenges in African skilling systems include limited funding, fragmented training provision, weak coordination with industry, poor foundational skills, and lack of career guidance and job-matching platforms, Prof. Banyankimbona observed.

“With global trends such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence, green skills and climate change reshaping the future of work, demand-driven and inclusive skills systems are urgent to support upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning,” Diop noted.

The Academy is organised in collaboration with the Government of Kenya and the Inter-University Council for East Africa and builds on projects such as the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP), which have shown the impact of targeted skills development in flagship institutions.