Zimbabwe govt sounds alarm over skills mismatch

The Government of Zimbabwe has raised urgent concern over the growing mismatch between the skills produced by the country's education system and the rapidly evolving demands of the labour market, warning that failure to address this gap could derail national development goals.

Speaking at the Scholastista Conference held at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) in Bulawayo on Thursday - an event running alongside the first stand-alone Scholastica Expo in over a decade - Minister of Skills Audit and Development, Professor Paul Mavima, said Zimbabwe risks undermining its Vision 2030 agenda if it does not urgently recalibrate its education-to-employment pipeline.

"As we pursue our bold vision of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2030 as envisioned by His Excellency, the President, Dr E. D. Mnangagwa, it is important that we craft, develop and implement strategies to address the mismatch between the skills our education system produces and the demands of our dynamic labour market," said Prof Mavima.

Mavima revealed that his ministry, which was established to conduct national skills audits and craft solutions, had recently completed a nationwide stakeholder consultation and analysis - and the findings were alarming.

"What we discovered was sobering - a surplus of graduates in non-strategic areas, and alarming shortages in sectors critical to growth," he said.

According to the minister, the mining and manufacturing sectors are suffering from acute shortages of geologists, mining engineers, artisans and technicians, while the agricultural sector lacks experts in modern agronomy, mechanisation and agribusiness management.

The construction industry is also feeling the pinch, with insufficient numbers of qualified civil engineers, land surveyors, and skilled tradespeople.

Perhaps most worrying, Prof Mavima noted, is the shortfall in digital and healthcare sectors - two of the most critical areas in a modern economy. He cited severe deficits in software developers, data analysts, cybersecurity professionals and artificial intelligence practitioners, while healthcare continues to struggle with gaps in specialist medical practitioners and medical technologies.

Prof Mavima called on educators, industry leaders, policymakers, and private sector players to collaboratively realign Zimbabwe's education and training systems with real-world needs.

"We cannot afford to keep producing graduates who cannot be absorbed by the economy. This has adverse implications on productivity, innovation, competitiveness, and inclusive growth," he said.

The government, through the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development, is working to create a transformative national framework that links curricula to current and emerging labour market trends. The goal is to ensure young Zimbabweans graduate with skills that are not only marketable but essential to national progress.

The Scholastista Conference brought together stakeholders from universities, technical colleges, government ministries, private industry, and international development partners under the theme "Re-imagining Education for an Inclusive and Industrialised Future."

Many participants echoed Prof Mavima's sentiments, pointing to the growing gap between theoretical education and the practical demands of a digitised, industrialising world.

As Zimbabwe pushes forward with its Vision 2030 agenda - aiming to become an upper middle-income economy - skills development is being recognised as a cornerstone of national transformation.

"Education must evolve beyond theory to become an enabler of innovation, enterprise, and inclusive growth," concluded Prof Mavima. "If we don't build the right skills today, we compromise the future we are all working towards."