HARARE, May 29 (NewsDay Live) — Zimbabwe will host the third edition of Africa Skills Week from October 12 to 16, 2026, after the African Union Commission selected Harare as the venue for a continental summit aimed at tackling Africa’s skills gap and youth unemployment crisis.
The event will bring together AU member states, regional blocs, industry leaders, academia, development partners, civil society organisations and youth representatives to advance skills development, employment creation and industrial transformation.
The summit comes as African countries grapple with weak technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems and high youth unemployment.
According to the World Bank, Zimbabwe’s youth unemployment rate stood at 15.5% in 2025 among people aged 15 to 24, while TVET enrolment across Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for just 1.8% of lower secondary school enrolment.
Briefing Cabinet this week, Skills Audit and Development Minister Jenfan Muswere said hosting the summit aligns with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which prioritises human capital development as a driver of industrialisation.
He said the event would also position Zimbabwe as a regional hub for skills development and innovation.
The African Union said the summit will focus on addressing low enrolment in vocational training, outdated curricula and infrastructure deficits, while strengthening links between training institutions and labour market demands.
Held under the theme, “Skills for Resilient and Competitive African Industries: From Training to Value Creation,” the summit aims to promote workforce development that supports industrial growth and job creation.
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Africa Skills Week was launched in Accra, Ghana, in 2024, while the second edition was held at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2025. The Addis Ababa meeting attracted more than 850 participants and launched the Continental TVET Strategy 2025-2034.
The Harare programme will feature ministerial and private-sector roundtables, technical discussions, a skills marketplace and exhibition, as well as platforms for women and youth entrepreneurs.
Delegates will also tour selected industrial parks, TVET institutions, innovation hubs and enterprise training centres in Zimbabwe.
Muswere said the event supports Zimbabwe’s commitments under the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by promoting inclusive growth, youth empowerment and decent work through stronger vocational training systems.
The summit is expected to conclude with a communiqué committing member states and partners to implement country-level action plans under the Continental TVET Strategy.
Zimbabwe’s selection comes as the country pursues upper-middle-income status by 2030, a goal government says will depend heavily on skills development and workforce productivity.
