As part of a small multi-disciplinary group of technical experts in education, skills development and employment policy formulation, management, and governance, Hon. Ousman Sillah, Secretary General of the Sub-Saharan Africa Skills and Apprenticeship Stakeholders Network (SASASNET), recently participated in drafting of revised Africa continental TVET strategy 2025-34.
Hon. Sillah was invited by the Education Division of the African Union Commission (AUC) to serve as a member of the Drafting Team for the Development of the Revised Continental Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) 2025-34.
The Drafting Team comprising representatives from the AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, ILO, UNESCO, UNHCR, GIZ, AfDB, Private Sector, Education and Skills Development Experts and Practitioners; Legal and Policy Specialists; and Communications and Advocacy Specialists, converged at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, from the 6-8 August, 2024, to develop the Revised Continental TVET Strategy for the next ten years.
“The mandate of the Drafting Team established by the African Union Commission is to draft the Revised Continental TVET Strategy which should be comprehensive and forward-thinking and aimed at transforming the skills development and employment systems in Africa and to align it with labour market needs, the AU Agenda 2063, and other relevant continental and global frameworks,” he added.
Hon. Sillah revealed that the Drafting Team was given the task to translate the findings and recommendations of the Taskforce Team into a revised Continental TVET Strategy to serve the main working document from which other stakeholders shall debate and improve.
SASASNET SG maintained that specific objectives of the Drafting Team are to synthesise and consider the findings and recommendations from the TVET Review process; articulate a comprehensive framework for TVET development across Africa, encompassing strategic objectives, key priorities, and implementation mechanisms, and to facilitate the validation and adoption of the Revised Continental TVET Strategy 2025-34 by the relevant AU organs and bodies.
According to SASASNET SG, the existing Continental Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) seeks to foster development of youth employment 2015-24 to address the growing problem of youth unemployment and underemployment in Africa.
He added that it also aims to provide a comprehensive framework for the design and development of national policies and strategies that will enhance skills development and employability and that the main thrust being a paradigm shift through development of TVET systems that prepare young people to be job creators rather than job seekers.
“It is because of the changing economic and social landscape that a review of this Strategy became necessary to be undertaken in order to assess the extent of the progress made in terms of the current CTVET Strategy 2015-24 meeting the set goals, objectives and priorities and to also identify for the revised strategy, concrete options and strategies for improving TVET policies and systems in Africa,” said the SASASNET Secretary General.
In her remarks during the closing ceremony, Sabine Claus, Head of GIZ Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA) Programme, described the exercise as very productive as it brought together a team with diverse expertise that passionately worked as a family with a common purpose and sense of mission.
She thanked the members of the Drafting Team for attending and for supporting the strategy.
She said the next step is getting all stakeholders on board to support the process to evolve the revised strategy and make the youths to benefit from TVET with the creation of job opportunities in Africa and even Europe which has an aging population and needs skilled workers.
Mrs. Sophia Ashipala, Head of Education Division, African Union Commission, in delivering the closing statement, thanked the GIZ for its support in bringing together the team of experts and practitioners of the Drafting Team in a very short period of time which is a demonstration of its strong partnership with the Commission.
She also expressed appreciation to all the members of the team for accepting their invitation considering their busy schedules and the quality time and work they have given the task at hand.
“On behalf of the Commissioner for Education and the Director, let me say thank you to each and every one of you and wishing you safe journey back to your destinations,” concluded Mrs. Ashipala.
Mr. Nicholas Ouma – Senior Youth Advisor, AUC, and Coordinator of the sessions, also spoke at the ceremony.
Hon. Sillah, who served as the Rapporteur also presented the recommendations or report of one of the four Working Groups reviewing and drafting the Revised Africa Continental TVET Strategy 2025-34.
This review of the Drafting Team of experts and practitioners in TVET is coming on the heels of the online Open Forum held on 17th July, 2024, and organised by the AUC and AUDA-NEPAD, GIZ and STEP Innovations Africa (the Consulting Firm leading the review) in collaboration with SASASNET to discuss the review for comments and input from its members. The lead Consultant is Dr. Dan Baffuor-Awuah, TVET Specialist/Expert and SASASNET Country Focal Person for Ghana.
Other participating experts and practitioners who represented organisations include UNESCO, UNHCR, AfDB, Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (ATUPA), Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Step Innovations Africa, Don Bosco Tech Africa, Commonwealth of Learning, etc.
