Africa, the world’s youngest continent with abundant natural resources, has the potential to realize the African Union’s Agenda 2063 if it invests strategically in vocational and technical training, says Koffi N’Guessan, Ivorian Minister of Vocational Training and Apprenticeships.
Speaking at a knowledge event during the 2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, N’Guessan stressed that Africa’s development hinges on equipping its youthful population with employable skills.
“Youth can become a liability if robust training policies are not implemented, from nursery school through to university,” he warned, highlighting a pressing demographic reality: nearly 22.5% of African youth aged 15 to 24 are unemployed and have no formal education or training. Moreover, about 250 million children and youth in low-income countries remain out of school, a statistic he cited as evidence of the deep mismatch between education systems and labor market needs.
According to N’Guessan, the newly adopted Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan for Agenda 2063, which was endorsed by the African Union in February 2024, offers a critical chance to rectify these gaps and accelerate inclusive development.
While Africa has made notable gains over the past decade in gender equality, economic integration, and employment access, N’Guessan admitted that progress has not translated into structural transformation. “The second Agenda 2063 implementation plan… offers a crucial opportunity to tackle these challenges and accelerate development outcomes,” he said.
He also reiterated that Africa has the potential to emerge as a global economic powerhouse, alongside China and India, but only if its young population is trained for the future. “African countries should prioritize vocational and technical training to fully harness this demographic dividend,” N’Guessan emphasized.
Ghana’s Experience: Modernizing TVET Amid Persisting Challenges
Ghana’s own technical and vocational education and training (TVET) reforms echo the Ivorian Minister’s urgency. Once a robust part of the Ghanaian basic and secondary school system, vocational education in Ghana has undergone significant transformation. Traditional institutions like technical schools and polytechnics have been rebranded as technical universities, with increased funding and policy attention.
According to the Ministry of Education, the rebranding is part of a broader push to make TVET “a first choice” rather than a fallback. Enrollments in technical universities have risen by over 25% in the past three years, fueled by infrastructure development and public campaigns supported by partners like the African Development Bank.
However, these advancements have not resolved the country’s employment crisis.
Ghana’s unemployment rate remains persistently high, officially around 14.7% among youth as of 2023 data by the Ghana Statistical Service, and underemployment is even more widespread. Many graduates from technical universities struggle to find jobs, raising questions about whether the training being offered aligns with market needs.
The disconnection between policy aspirations and real-world outcomes remains a sore point for many. Despite high-level declarations and billions in investment, the critical question remains: Why hasn’t Ghana’s modernized TVET sector translated into mass employment for its youth?
Is it a matter of policy incoherence? A mismatch between curriculum and employer expectations? Or are there deeper structural issues, such as weak industrial linkages, limited private sector absorption, or inadequate entrepreneurial ecosystems?
As African leaders prepare to implement the second ten-year phase of Agenda 2063, experts say investments in technical and vocational training, combined with policy coherence and industry engagement, will be central to meeting the continent’s ambition.
