InfoPoint conference: Skills, jobs and productivity in Africa

Digital and green transitions, the regionalisation of international trade etc., the labour needs of African companies are changing rapidly. The new report Africa’s Development Dynamics 2024: Skills, Jobs and Productivity explores how African governments, firms and educational institutions can increase the supply of quality skills, in line with current and future demand, to create jobs and increase productivity.

The report examines the gaps in foundational, soft and technical skills and identifies policy solutions to develop a skilled workforce. It takes a close look at each of the regional economic communities (RECs) and offers recommendations for skills development in strategic areas including mining, digital technologies, renewable energy and agri-food.

Africa’s Development Dynamics feeds the policy debate between the African Union’s governments, citizens, entrepreneurs and researchers. It fosters greater collaboration between countries and regions, mutual learning and the preservation of common goods. It is the result of a partnership between the African Union Commission and the OECD Development Centre and is also a key project of the new OECD/Africa partnership and the joint Programme of Work for 2023-2026 agreed between the OECD and the AUC with ‘Human Development’ and ‘Investment and Trade’ as priority areas.

The primary goal of this project is to assist the African Union in enhancing the well-being of African citizens through sustainable development and inclusive growth, and advancing continental integration in Africa. Particular attention is devoted to the role of Africa’s international partnerships. This project aims to i) Inform policy and practice, and support evidence-based policy-making at continental, regional and national levels and ii) Shape the policy dialogue in Africa, and between Africa and its partners, notably on structural transformation and job creation. This year edition ‘Skills, Jobs, Productivity” is particularly important in the context of the African Union’s year of education.

The Team Europe Initiative “Opportunity-driven skills and VET in Africa” (TEI OP-VET) intends to complement Vocational Education and Training (VET) programmes financed by the European Commission or Member States at country level by helping these to orient towards concrete employment opportunities created by (EU) investments, trade, (regional) value chain development and other market dynamics in partner countries under the Global Gateway. It thus seeks to support a paradigm shift where the VET offer is reverse engineered from concrete job opportunities. Among its three building blocks is a competitive funding mechanism to finance regional and multi-country VET initiatives in support of (regional) value chains that complement country MIPs, as well as actions that more generally support this paradigm shift of reverse engineering VET in function of employment opportunities market dynamics create. For this, a call for proposal will be launched in September 2024.

Speakers

• Domenico Rosa, Head of Unit, INTPA A1- Strategic Partnerships with Africa and with the ACP
• Dr. Arthur Minsat, Head of Unit for Africa, Europe and Middle East - Senior Economist, OECD Development Centre
• Dr. Patrick Ndzana Olomo, Head of Division for Economic Policy and Sustainable Development, African Union Commission
• Jessica Schröder, Policy Officer for VET, Vocational Education and Training, INTPA E3- Private Sector Engagement & Employment
• Deborah Capela, Programme Manager Section of Infrastructure, Investment and Private Sector, European Delegation to Mozambique

Language: English

Q&A session languages: English and French

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