Skills Development and Labour Mobility

The side event focused on the growing importance of leveraging skills development and recognition to advance inclusive labor mobility pathways and enhance talent circulation within and beyond the African continent. Stakeholders acknowledged the growing need to rethink the continent's education system and skills-development playbook, particularly in the context of talent supply. The mismatch between skills supply and job-market demand remains to be a challenge. An overhaul of educational curricula to develop the skills required for both local market and the international market demand needs to be incorporated in the training/ educational programs. 

Stakeholders from ministries, civil society, the private sector, academia, and TVET institutions from Kenya and across the region discussed about skills development priorities, particularly by aligning training systems and talent supply frameworks with evolving labor market demands, thereby contributing to economic transformation at both national and regional levels.

They highlighted the lack of clarity in existing Bilateral Labor Agreements (BLAs), which in many cases reflect only government priorities and overlook demands from the private sector (employers), labor unions, the diaspora, or migrants themselves. Participants recommended to Integrate local actors and non-state actors into negotiation and implementation of bilateral labour agreements.

The role of TVET institutions was key areas of discussion. There was a consensus that African TVET institutions have limited capacity to develop the required talent, especially with the growing demand for green skills within and outside the continent. In particular, inadequate investment in TVET institutions is significantly limiting the potential to produce relevant talent that meets global demands, potentially facilitating meaningful labor mobility pathways. Representatives from TVET Institutions and other stockholders recommended to focus enhancing the capacity of TVETs, Invest, design exchange programs between Africa’s TVET programs and its international counterparts, close partnerships between TVET institutions and the private sector and Integrate migration into the curriculum of TVET institutions. 

All in all, there is a growing intersection between skills development, labour mobility, migrant rights, and fair recruitment. To fully realize the potential benefits, stakeholders, institutions, and other relevant actors need to collaborate to reassess current practices and establish meaningful partnerships. Such collaboration will contribute to an inclusive and rights-based approach to skills development and labour mobility, enabling African countries to leverage emerging national and global opportunities.