By Aldridge Dzvene
President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has challenged African governments to turn skills development into jobs, industrial production and economic growth, warning that the continent’s youthful population will remain an untapped resource unless education systems deliver practical competencies demanded by industry.
Officially opening the African Union Africa Skills Week 2026 in Harare on Monday, President Mnangagwa called for a decisive shift from theoretical learning towards industry-driven training, apprenticeships and technological innovation to strengthen Africa’s competitiveness and accelerate industrialisation.
Addressing delegates from across the continent, the President said Africa’s demographic advantage could become a powerful engine of economic transformation if governments invested in relevant education, technical and vocational training, research and innovation.
He said the continent needed to move beyond producing graduates with theoretical qualifications towards developing a workforce capable of manufacturing goods, delivering specialised services and supporting the expansion of competitive industries.
The President said the theme of Africa Skills Week, “Skills for Resilient and Competitive African Industries: From Training to Value Creation,” captured the urgent need to connect education with productive economic activity.
He called for stronger partnerships between governments, industry, educational institutions and development partners to ensure that training programmes responded directly to labour-market requirements and emerging economic opportunities.
President Mnangagwa said skills development must be treated as a strategic investment in Africa’s economic future, particularly as countries seek to expand domestic production, create sustainable employment and reduce dependence on imported finished goods.
He said Zimbabwe’s development priorities under National Development Strategy 2 placed human capital development, research, science, technology, innovation and modern infrastructure at the centre of efforts to achieve inclusive economic growth.
The President noted that infrastructure development and investment across sectors such as energy, mining, agriculture and manufacturing required a skilled workforce capable of translating national development policies into measurable economic outcomes.
He stressed that training institutions must strengthen their links with industry to ensure that graduates possess the practical experience and technical capabilities required to participate effectively in production and service delivery.
President Mnangagwa called for the expansion of apprenticeship programmes, workplace learning and industrial placements, saying these would help bridge the gap between academic qualifications and the practical demands of employment.
He also urged African countries to prepare their education systems for the rapid transformation of the global economy through artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, data analytics, precision manufacturing and advanced maintenance technologies.
He said technological advancement was reshaping production systems and labour markets, requiring African countries to equip workers with adaptable skills that would allow them to remain productive in an increasingly digital economy.
The President called for digital and artificial intelligence literacy to be embedded across education systems, alongside continuous professional development to help workers adapt to changing industrial requirements.
He further highlighted the importance of developing green skills in renewable energy, sustainable construction, climate-smart agriculture and the circular economy, arguing that industrialisation must be pursued alongside environmental sustainability.
President Mnangagwa said Africa’s development ambitions required a workforce capable of supporting modern industries while responding to climate change, technological disruption and changing patterns of global trade.
He also identified the African Continental Free Trade Area as an important platform for expanding intra-African commerce, strengthening regional value chains and promoting collective industrial development.
However, he emphasised that the benefits of continental integration would depend partly on Africa’s ability to develop the technical skills needed to manufacture competitive products, process raw materials and provide higher-value services.
He called for greater regional cooperation in qualifications recognition, skills certification and labour mobility to enable trained professionals to contribute across national borders and support the continent’s industrial development.
The President further called for deliberate measures to expand access to technical and vocational education for women and young people, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
He said removing barriers that limit participation in these fields was essential to building an inclusive workforce and ensuring that Africa’s industrial transformation created opportunities across society.
President Mnangagwa urged governments, businesses, educational institutions and development partners to translate the deliberations of Africa Skills Week into concrete commitments, implementation programmes and measurable outcomes.
He said the effectiveness of the initiative would ultimately be demonstrated through its contribution to closing skills gaps, strengthening industrial competitiveness, expanding employment opportunities and increasing the productive capacity of African economies.
The Harare gathering brings together policymakers, technical and vocational education practitioners, industry representatives, academics, innovators and young people to examine strategies for aligning skills development with Africa’s industrialisation and economic transformation agenda.
The meeting places skills development at the centre of the continent’s broader efforts to harness its youthful population, strengthen domestic production and build resilient economies capable of competing in an increasingly technology-driven global marketplace.
