Integrating the Belt and Road Initiative and Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Inclusive Growth and Development in Africa

摘要

Africa is plagued with persistent low competitiveness ranking at the lower rungs of the Global value Chain ladder in spite of the abundant resources the continent is endowed with. The demographic composition coupled with enormous resources of the continent are expected to be core drivers of comparative advantage in the quest for development, but these have not been properly harnessed. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is believed to be pivotal to achieving targeted national or regional development goals, however, this critical aspect of education is being grossly neglected on the continent. TVET thrives through a coordinated synergy with economic environment in which it operates. A conducive environment for employment generating investments will strengthen the TVET systems and promote the development of key economic sectors to attract the requisite foreign development inputs. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides an avenue for flow of development inputs into Africa and fulfilling the BRI objectives in achieving inclusive growth and development in Africa requires effective capacity building beyond skills training of manpower. This paper examined the nexus between TVET and development, the opportunities available for BRI and TVET in key sectors of the economies in Africa. It emphasized that beyond the acquisition of skills, the continent should utilize the opportunities of BRI platform to promote inclusive growth and development by providing conducive environment for job creation through regional integration driven by infrastructure development, industrialization coupled with urbanization, and investment in research and development. It recommended that African countries should build and maintain strong and development driven TVET systems by taking cue from Chinese successful experience. The paper posited that the design of TVET system should dovetail with the national, regional and continental development goals to guaranty inclusive growth and development across the continent.