Africa’s future education requirements: Vocational education

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the state and requirements of vocational education in Africa, highlighting a significant mismatch between graduate skills and employer needs, low enrollment in vocational programs in sub-Saharan Africa, and the challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

• Job creation in Africa is hindered by three primary factors: the rate of job creation lags behind the number of graduates, graduates lack the skills required for available roles, and young applicants lack the professional experience, social networks, and soft skills needed to compete with older candidates.
• There is a notable deficiency in training for science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM), as well as technical and vocational education and training (TVET), leading to a mismatch between the skills of job seekers and employer requirements.
• Vocational enrollment in sub-Saharan Africa was low in 2019, with only 8.5% of upper secondary students in vocational programs. This is less than half of the global and South American averages. While Angola saw over 50% enrollment, countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Mauritania, Comoros, and Equatorial Guinea had less than 3%.
• Tertiary science and engineering graduates in sub-Saharan Africa accounted for only 14.2% in 2019, trailing South Asia's 24.3%. Djibouti had the highest share at nearly 40%, while Uganda, Eswatini, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia had less than 5%.
• The World Bank notes that informal apprenticeships are the primary method of preparing workers for crafts and trade jobs in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for nearly 90% of such training in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, and Benin.
• A critical barrier to vocational training in sub-Saharan Africa is the low quality of general education, which leaves many students without the foundational reading, writing, numeracy, and problem-solving skills necessary to be 'trainable' for vocational streams.

APA

Aikins, E. R., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Africa’s future education requirements: Vocational education. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=08-vocational-education

Chicago

Aikins, Enoch Randy, and Jakkie Cilliers. Africa’s future education requirements: Vocational education. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=08-vocational-education.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aikins |first1=Enoch Randy |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Africa’s future education requirements: Vocational education |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=21 April 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=08-vocational-education |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aikins2026africas, author = {Aikins, Enoch Randy and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Africa’s future education requirements: Vocational education}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=08-vocational-education}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }