introduction
“The population of 54 countries across the African continent is estimated to reach 2 billion people by 2050. Twenty-three of the world’s 27 poorest countries are in Africa” (United Nations, 2023).
A data-driven approach to construction growth in sub-Saharan Africa refers to the use of quantitative and qualitative information to guide decision-making, planning, and implementation of construction projects and policies in the region. This approach emphasizes evidence-based strategies, not just intuition and traditional practices.
Skills mapping is essential to development because it enables countries, industry sectors, and organizations to understand workforce capabilities, identify skills gaps, and align talent with strategic goals and policies. This enables better decision-making in areas such as training, education, succession planning, and talent management, ultimately leading to increased efficiency, productivity, and economic growth.
Why you need skill mapping
Skills mapping is essential to strategic planning, as it reveals whether the population has the appropriate competencies in line with national development goals.
Skills are needed to adapt to employment disruption caused by new digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI).
Identify key competencies that need to be developed to maximize value, such as technology skills and time management.
Regular data collection identifies a phenomenon known as ‘brain drain’, where skilled talent leaves their home countries in search of better prospects.
How to collect skill mapping
National skills mapping is a large-scale undertaking that requires a coordinated effort across multiple systems.
– Employment data integration
Link existing systems such as unemployment databases, employment services, and workforce development programs to capture real-time skills data from job seekers and employed workers.
– Education system mapping
Connect graduation data from universities, colleges, and certificate programs into one source of truth.
– Census and survey integration
Incorporate skills questions into census efforts and periodic labor force surveys to collect broader population data.
– Industry research and partnerships
Skills data can be aggregated through the participation of major labor organizations, large workforces, and professional associations.
Frontiers of skills mapping in sub-Saharan Africa
Skills data collected in sub-Saharan Africa lacks homogeneity and is rarely distributed, analyzed, or shared, which limits its usefulness.
Labor market informality is high in sub-Saharan Africa. This is one of the biggest barriers to traditional approaches to collecting labor market information, making it impossible to collect data in many countries. (African Union/USAID, 2016)
Multiple challenges, including limited education budgets, inadequate infrastructure, talent shortages, and the world’s largest and fastest growing youth population, increase the burden of providing modern TVET in sub-Saharan Africa. (European Commission, 2015)
Sub-Saharan Africa is made up of 41 countries, each with competing resources, different capabilities, and different priorities. This situation is further exacerbated by a large informal economy, with only one in six workers in a documented wage job.
“Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Southern Africa, has great potential for economic growth due to the region’s rich natural and mineral resources. However, institutions in the region still lack the knowledge, legal frameworks, strong laws and strategies to anticipate medium- and long-term skills requirements.”
The lack of a central database and the inoperability of database systems impede integration. Skills mapping tools must work in dozens of local languages from different countries. National skill stocks are constantly changing due to high population movements within the region.
Education systems are often outdated or contain incomplete records of what skills people have and what they have studied. The quality of qualifications between different institutions makes it difficult to compare them. Rural areas have unique skill sets that differ from standard skill classifications, resulting in people sometimes underestimating or overreporting their skills due to cultural factors and misunderstandings of what is required.
There are factors that make people reluctant to provide detailed personal information about themselves to authorities with weak institutional governance. Gender disparities mean that women’s skills are often undervalued or rendered invisible.
Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa lack the human, technical and financial resources to collect labor market information on a regular basis. Botswana’s first Labor Force and Talent Survey was conducted in 2005, and the next survey was not scheduled until 2015. Kenya’s first study was conducted in 1999, with a follow-up planned for 2016. (African Union/USAID, 2016)
The region faces economic uncertainty and environmental challenges, and has some of the lowest educational attainment and illiteracy rates in the world, making it a structural backdrop for TVET provision in sub-Saharan Africa. (Brookings, 2022)
In a study of 41 sub-Saharan African countries, only eight countries (Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) had conducted labor force surveys since 1990, and only two countries (Namibia and South Africa) engaged in more than one wave of data collection. (Brookings, 2020)
Sub-Saharan Africa lacks qualified and trained labor market statisticians and economists who can analyze labor market data to guide policy. (African Union/USAID, 2016)
In many African countries, labor market data collected by statistics departments is not shared with responsible ministries such as ministries of education and ministries of labor. (African Union/USAID, 2016)
Skill mapping solution
Sub-Saharan Africa has adopted the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to strengthen recognition of formal, non-formal and non-formal learning.
Since 63% of people in the region have access to 4G networks (2023), it is possible to conduct self-report surveys using mobile phones. The research could be integrated with existing programs such as microfinance, mobile money systems, unemployment assistance agencies, and social grant schemes.
Community-based mapping can be achieved with the help of community leaders and NGOs who facilitate data collection.
Expanding the Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA). This is an initiative of the African Union Commission, supported by the German government, to strengthen the professional potential of African youth.
Integrating new qualifications and competencies in sub-Saharan Africa
Up to 85.8% of all workers in sub-Saharan Africa earn a living through informal work. These workers are often poorly paid and have no social security net. (ILO, 2020)
Many sub-Saharan countries have implemented or are implementing NQFs to move from “knowledge-based” to “competency-based” curricula and integrate new qualifications and competencies into technical and vocational education and training centers (TVETs).
The African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) conducted a mapping study in 2021 covering 41 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Of these countries, just over 50% have approved an NQF, 20% are developing an NQF, and a further 20% plan to develop an NQF. Only 3 countries did not have NQF in place at the planning stage (ACQF 2021)
The Qualifications Framework promotes transparency and recognition of new and existing qualifications and competencies by categorizing them according to set standards and levels. The transparent framework strengthens the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process, which validates skills acquired informally or informally through competency-based assessments. RPL is a key policy priority in Africa, aimed at creating a pathway to further education and decent employment for the majority of young people and adults who acquire skills outside the formal education system. (ILO 2019)
We have found that comprehensive qualifications frameworks that integrate all academic and vocational qualifications into a single framework provide learners with a strong pathway to further education through both academic and vocational courses. (ILO 2019)
Purpose of ACQF:
Enhance comparability, quality and transparency of qualifications of all types and levels.
Supporting people’s lifelong learning. It validates learning, certifies diplomas and certificates, and facilitates the mobility of learners and workers across Africa. Work in collaboration and complementation with national and regional qualifications frameworks. Supporting the integration of the African continent and the creation of a common space for African education. Facilitates collaboration and reference between qualifications frameworks (national, regional) in Africa and around the world.
assignment
Capacity constraints and negative perceptions limit the positive impact of NQF and RPL processes in Africa.
Competency-based training has appeal in African countries, where TVET systems have been criticized for not producing the job skills that employers demand…but in practice, competency-based training has proven complex to implement at scale.
opportunity
Strengthening and harmonizing qualifications frameworks across Africa could support the region’s goal of becoming a global power, while supporting workforce mobility and promoting inclusive growth.
Successful development and implementation of the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) would enable African employers to recruit the skilled workers they need, regardless of where they live, generating an additional $150 billion in regional income by 2035, increasing productivity and lifting 50 million people out of extreme poverty (World Bank, 2022).
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
Launched in January 2021, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is the world’s largest tree trading area, providing African businesses with access to an expanding market to sell their products.
However, to reap the potential benefits of AfCFTA, African counties must take action to improve the labor mobility of their citizens by ensuring that they have the right skills in the right place at the right time.
As well as investing in strengthening their own qualification systems, local authorities should work with other countries to aggregate information on available and needed skills, and harmonize and benchmark qualification frameworks and RPL processes. (eLearning Africa, 2022)
conclusion
Infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa suffer from skills shortages, resulting in substandard work, cost overruns and delays. The region’s construction sector needs to understand the skills and competencies currently available, the skills needed to improve project performance, and take steps to train workers to adapt to new digital technologies and future sustainability requirements.
Attracting foreign investment for capital projects requires the availability of a skilled and competent workforce capable of executing complex projects. If sub-Saharan Africa wants to attract foreign investment that guarantees profitability, the region needs to adopt a unique approach to skills mapping and integrate informal skills that can be translated into competencies. This monumental task requires public-private partnerships across multiple disciplines, cross-border cooperation, and universal solidarity between institutions to adopt a fair and transparent system of comparing qualifications.
