Millions of young Africans risk missing out on decent work without TVET reform -ACET report

Africa’s skills gap is widening, and a new six-country study from the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) warns that without stronger investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), millions of young people risk being locked out of decent work—undermining inclusive economic transformation on the continent.

The study, Building Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Systems for Economic Transformation in Africa, was conducted across six countries – Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Rwanda, and Uganda – in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. It reveals persistent underfunding, limited private sector engagement, and weak alignment between training and labor market needs as key factors undermining TVET success in Africa. It urges public and private stakeholders to strengthen the inclusiveness, responsiveness, and sustainability of TVET systems, offering more than 50 recommendations and priority actions.

Ensuring that Africa reaps a demographic dividend from its teeming youth population requires that it equips them with the requisite skills to thrive in a fast-changing global labor market. However, 1 in 4 young people on the continent is not in employment, education, or training (NEET). And while 10 to 12 million young Africans enter the workforce annually, only 3 million formal jobs are created every year. And young women continue to be disproportionately excluded, with their NEET rates significantly higher than for young men, according to the report.

“TVET is not just about jobs—it’s about powering Africa’s economic transformation. Now is the time to move from seeing TVET as a last resort to recognizing it as the winning pathway to equip our young people with critical skills to power our transformation. Digital and technological skills like coding and cybersecurity, green and sustainable skills like renewable energy installation and maintenance and climate-smart farming, and technical and trade skills like construction, metal fabrication etc are what will ensure that our young people have decent jobs that contribute to economic transformation. Reforming and investing in TVET is a non-negotiable prerequisite for this,” said Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, President and CEO at ACET. 

The report found that despite some policy progress in recent years – five of the six study countries have formal TVET policies in place – implementation remains weak, hampered by the persistent challenges such as weak coordination and limited industry involvement. Underfunding also remains a chronic challenge, with TVET getting just two percent of the education budgets in Ghana and less than 10 percent in Ethiopia, for example.

These challenges limit countries’ ability to upgrade infrastructure, support teacher training, and modernize curricula, as evidenced by 93 percent of students in Rwanda, who cited outdated equipment and poor infrastructure as a barrier for them.

Worse, stigma still hampers enrollment across the study countries, with TVET seen as a “‘last resort,” reinforced by social and cultural norms that prefer academic pathways.

However, the report finds there is reason for optimism, including early-stage policy reform in Uganda and Rwanda; the success of initiatives like Côte d’Ivoire’s École de la Deuxième Chance (School of Second Chance), which has achieved high post-training employment rates; and the potential for TVET to fill gaps in digital and green skills. These and other initiatives and opportunities position TVET as a key pathway to unlocking Africa’s demographic dividend.TVET is Africa’s bridge to the future economy,” said Mona Iddrisu, Head, Youth Employment and Skills at ACET.  “It can equip our young people with the skills they need to lead Africa’s harnessing of the benefits of the 4th Industrial revolution but without bold reforms, millions of young people risk being left behind.”

The report recommends employer partnerships, use of digital tools, and innovative financing models to unlock TVET’s potential and urges governments, development partners, and the private sector to prioritize TVET reform, expand funding, and strengthening industry partnerships to prepare Africa’s youth for the jobs of the future.