Africa’s future education requirements: Vocational education

The report highlights a significant gap between the skills of African graduates and the requirements of the modern job market, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It notes that sub-Saharan Africa has low enrollment in vocational programmes compared to global averages, though some countries like Angola perform better. The text argues for a balance between academic and vocational training to support agribusiness and manufacturing, while warning that poor foundational education in sub-Saharan Africa creates a lack of 'readily trainable workers' for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

• There is a substantial mismatch between the skills of job seekers and employer requirements in Africa, driven by a lack of emphasis on technical and vocational education and training (TVET), STEM subjects, and higher-order cognitive skills, as well as a deficiency in soft skills and professional experience among youth.
• Vocational enrollment in sub-Saharan Africa was low in 2019, with only 8.5% of upper secondary students in such programmes. This is less than half of the global average. While Angola saw over 50% enrollment, countries including Comoros, Kenya, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, and Mauritania had less than 3%.
• Tertiary graduates with science and engineering backgrounds in sub-Saharan Africa stood at 14.2% in 2019. Djibouti had the highest share at nearly 40%, followed by Eritrea, Algeria, Sudan, and Tunisia (all near 30%), while Uganda, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Eswatini had less than 5%.
• The transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digitisation requires technical skills, but the low quality of general schooling in sub-Saharan Africa means many students lack the foundational reading, writing, and numeracy skills necessary to enter vocational streams, resulting in a lack of 'readily trainable workers'.

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} }