Sub-Saharan policymakers, experts gather in Kigali to discuss youth-skill for digital age

Policymakers, technical experts and educators from sub-Saharan African countries are meeting in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali to explore how to improve the skills of the African youth for the digital age.

The Regional Forum for the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) gives much emphasis on the fourth industrial revolution and digital economy, with participants examining the readiness of higher learning institutions to provide necessary skills for Africa's development, according to organizers of the three-day event.

It is through digital literacy and advanced skills acquired in higher education and technical, vocational education and training that Africa will be able to benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Rwandan Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente said at the opening, Xinhua noted.

The ultimate goal is to build all required skills to produce relevant technologies for Africa's innovators, entrepreneurs and future leaders, said Ngirente. The three-day forum, which brings together experts from different fields, including academia, is focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its opportunities and risks for Africa.

According to the experts, there is a huge gap to bridge in efforts to equip the youth of Africa with digital skills for the future. They said that while the Fourth Industrial Revolution offers tremendous opportunities to countries, at the same time, it presents serious risks such as unemployment as it is expected to disrupt job markets and skills requirements, as reported by The New Times.

One of the key principles of Africa's education strategy is to consider the quality and relevant education, training and research as the core for technological innovation and entrepreneurship, he said. Jaime Saavedra, senior director of World Bank Global Practice, said there is a need to create high quality and transformational systems for education to provide African youth with more opportunities.

Skills development has to be as inclusive as possible for young women or men to upgrade their skills, said Kevit Desai, principal secretary in the State Department of Vocational and Technical Education in Kenya's Ministry of Education, as reported by Xinhua.

PASET is an Africa-led initiative aimed at strengthening the science, technology and engineering capability in sub-Saharan Africa to further its socio-economic transformation. PASET forums provide the platform to incubate new regional initiatives, expand existing programs and initiate new partnerships between sub-Saharan governments and partners.

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