Mnangagwa to open Africa Skills Week as brain drain concerns grow

HARARE - President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to officially open Africa Skills Week in Harare on Monday, as African countries grapple with growing concerns over brain drain, skills shortages and a mismatch between training institutions and labour market demands.

The week-long continental gathering comes as Zimbabwe intensifies efforts to address skills gaps through its National Skills Audit and skills mapping programme, which aims to identify critical shortages and improve workforce planning.

African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Gaspard Banyankimbona, who arrived in Zimbabwe ahead of the event, said Africa was facing a paradox where it continues to produce skilled graduates while losing many of its most qualified professionals to opportunities abroad.

"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," said Banyankimbona.

He said closer collaboration among African countries, mutual recognition of qualifications and harmonised competency-based curricula were essential to addressing the challenge.

"The abnormality cannot be solved by one country alone. Collaboration, mutual recognition of qualifications and harmonisation of competency-based curricula is the way to go within the African perspective," he said.

Banyankimbona added that the African Union's Agenda 2063 skills development strategy focuses on retaining, retooling and reskilling workers rather than simply increasing certification levels.

Skills Audit and Development Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said Zimbabwe's hosting of Africa Skills Week comes at a strategic time following the completion of the country's first comprehensive Critical Skills Audit.

According to Muswere, the audit highlighted shortages in key sectors such as 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. What we have done through the National Skills Audit is to map where we are bleeding, where we have skills surpluses and where we have acute deficits," said Muswere.

He said Africa Skills Week would provide an opportunity for countries to share labour market information and develop strategies aimed at retaining skilled professionals on the continent.

Muswere said Government is implementing measures designed to stem the loss of skilled workers, including entrepreneurship incubation programmes, industrial attachment initiatives, heritage-based education and efforts to improve conditions of service.

President Mnangagwa is expected to use the event to encourage African governments to increase investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and the recognition of prior learning.

Africa Skills Week is expected to bring together education and labour ministers, policy-makers, industry leaders, TVET institutions and development partners to discuss strategies for strengthening Africa's skills base and supporting industrialisation.

Participants are also expected to explore ways of ensuring that skills developed on the continent contribute directly to Africa's economic growth and development goals.