Building pathways to sustainable growth

Strengthening TVET and productive sector linkages in Africa

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has the potential to support full and productive employment, enhance productivity and structural transformation, and accelerate sustainable development by equipping youth and adult workers with the skills needed in fast-changing labour markets. Nevertheless, many African countries' TVET systems struggle to meet labour market demands and the aspirations of people due to a lack of effective linkages between TVET systems, institutions and social partners.

To achieve the 2063 African Agenda for inclusive growth and sustainable development, it is necessary to modernize and strengthen TVET in Africa. To this end, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) collaborated to jointly analyse TVET systems in Africa and formulated recommendations to guide increased investment in skills development and enhance stakeholder capacity to improve TVET performance. Based on survey results for 16 countries (Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia), the study identifies key recommendations supporting increased investments in skills development and in improving TVET performance. The report's findings and recommendations align with the AfDB's Skills for Employability and Productivity in Africa (SEPA) Action Plan 2022-2025 and the ILO's strategy on skills and lifelong learning for 2022-2030. The AfDB and the ILO will continue to support African Member States in implementing the report's recommendations to enhance the role of TVET systems in Africa's growth and development.