Empowering young people with resources, opportunities and insights to build the skills needed for Africa's future economy and workforce transformation.
Empowering young people with resources, opportunities and insights to build the skills needed for Africa's future economy and workforce transformation.
Access resources that help you build the skills, networks and opportunities needed for tomorrow's economy.
AUDA-NEPAD
Nqobile Zwane
nqobile@auda-nepad.org
Skills Initiative for Africa
aspyee@nepad.org
AUDA-NEPAD
African Union
© 2026 African Union. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
© 2026 Designed and built with â€ïž by Concept Afrika
43 resources found
Gender makes Business Sense (GmBS) is a practical capacity development journey for agripreneurs that enhances their understanding of business plus an integrated gender dimension to thrive with a new mindset. The GmBS journey shows how a collaborative approach between women, men, public and private sectors, and the community can systematically redress the gender imbalances in all agribusiness value chain segments. GmBS is about Gender Transformative Change, tackling power relations at the root causes systematically, by demanding behavioural change at various levels and stages, not only from agripreneurs but also from policy actors in national ministries and GmBS facilitators in the field.
This section brings together a curated set of resources developed under the Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA) Technical Cooperation to support entrepreneurship development within Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems. The materials highlight practical approaches, lessons learned, and implementation models that strengthen the capacity of TVET institutions and intermediaries to promote youth entrepreneurship and employment. The resources presented here showcase experiences from different African countries where innovative entrepreneurship support models have been implemented in collaboration with training institutions, industry partners, and ecosystem actors. They illustrate how TVET centres can move beyond traditional training delivery to become hubs for enterprise creation, incubation, and skills development aligned with labour market opportunities. Each country resource provides insights into the local context, the structure of the entrepreneurship support model, key activities undertaken, and the outcomes achieved for young people. Together, they offer policymakers, practitioners, and development partners practical examples of how entrepreneurship can be embedded within TVET systems to expand pathways for youth employment, self employment, and economic participation. By sharing these country experiences, SIFA aims to facilitate knowledge exchange across the continent and inspire the replication and adaptation of effective approaches that strengthen entrepreneurship ecosystems within TVET institutions.
This Learning Brief documents how African TVET institutions rapidly adapted to COVID-19 lockdowns through Technology Enabled Learning (TEL) solutions. Drawing on experiences from institutions across the continent, it captures institutional pivots to digital platforms (Zoom, WhatsApp, Google Classroom), curriculum adaptations, and emerging blended learning models. Key lessons emphasize the non-negotiable need for technology in Fourth Industrial Revolution-aligned skills development, equitable access to devices and data for disadvantaged youth, youth digital readiness and resilience, evolving trainer roles from lecturer to facilitator/mentor, and sustainability measures including public-private partnerships and systemic skills planning. The brief highlights welcome surprisesâyouth technological fluency, innovation capacity, and collaborationâwhile addressing ongoing challenges of access and the imperative for sustained investment in technology-enabled TVET delivery.
A knowledge brief synthesising insights from multi-stakeholder webinars on youth skills development in Africa. It examines why siloed interventions fail and proposes a systems-change approach addressing policies, practices, power dynamics and mental models to enable sustainable youth livelihoods and long-term human capital outcomes.
This comprehensive capacity development package comprises 10 training modules supporting the dissemination and application of the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) Guidelines. The modules cover: (1) Learning Outcomes, (2) Level Descriptors, (3) Referencing National Qualifications Frameworks to ACQF, (4) Validation and Recognition of Learning (RPL/VAE, CATS, recognition of qualifications), (5) Quality Assurance, (6) Registers/Databases of Qualifications, (7) Monitoring and Evaluation, (8) Communication and Outreach, (9) Innovation and Technology, and (10) Qualifications Frameworks â The Systemic View. Designed for self-paced or facilitated learning, the modules expand on ACQF technical guidelines with practical examples, case studies, reflective questions, learning activities and assessment tasks. They support ministries, quality councils, education providers, technical projects and international organisations in developing, reviewing and implementing qualifications frameworks across Africa to facilitate learner mobility, skills recognition and continental integration.
This collection of handbooks provides TVET managers and HR managers with guidance and templates for organising, hosting, and evaluating both on-site and virtual job fairs in Africa. The tools cover planning, employer participation, and event follow-up. For youth, the guides offer practical preparation to take part in job fairs, including how to present CVs, portfolios, and engage with recruiters. Job fairs, often called Career Days or Expos, create opportunities for employers to showcase vacancies while students and job seekers connect directly with potential workplaces and work-based learning experiences.
This GIZ factsheet describes a pilot initiative supporting voluntary returnees, forcibly displaced people and local youth in The Gambia through market-relevant skills training and reintegration support. Working with the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) and the EU-funded Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), the project develops state-certified vocational courses, including small solar home systems and rural mechanics (page 2). It combines technical training, internships, entrepreneurship seminars and psychosocial preparation to improve employability. The pilot also upgrades training facilities, provides teacher training, and tests a cross-border training model with German institutions. Results include 37 trainees enrolled, two long-term certified courses launched, renovated workshops and strengthened GTTI administration.
This ILOâBRMM case story documents the reintegration journey of Mitiku Fisha, a former police officer in Ethiopia who resigned due to discrimination and faced five years of unemployment. After attempting to migrate irregularly due to lack of funds, he joined the ILO Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) programme, which provides training, livelihoods support and reintegration services for potential and returned migrants. Through entrepreneurship training, business development coaching and access to financial and non-financial support, Mitiku established a home-based laundry business and is planning to expand and hire staff. The case highlights BRMMâs wider impact, including job creation, access to loans and strengthened migrant-support systems.
This strategy outlines the priorities and actions for youth and migration in the East and Horn of Africa region, under three pillars â Resilience, Mobility and Governance â aiming to mainstream migration into youth development, support youth empowerment, economic inclusion and protection for migrant youth, and foster regional cooperation across member states. It targets inclusive youth engagement, labour mobility, social protection, skills & livelihood support, and rights-based frameworks to ensure migration benefits both youth and societies across the region.
This resource introduces the ATVET Soft Skills Wheel, a practical tool for integrating eight core employability competencies into agricultural TVET training: teamwork, leadership, communication, problem-solving, creative thinking, workplace ethics, flexibility/adaptability and interpersonal skills. Each skill area is presented with detailed learning outcomes across knowledge, skills and attitudes, supported by visual diagrams for trainers. The guide emphasises the importance of soft skills for workplace readiness, career development and effective collaboration, and can be adapted for diverse training contexts across Africa. It serves as a structured reference for educators seeking to strengthen learnersâ behavioural and professional capabilities.
This UNESCO-UNEVOC BILT innovation practice showcases Ghanaâs first gender-sensitive tractor operation training programme designed exclusively for women. Implemented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the initiative equips women with skills in tractor operation, maintenance, safety, business opportunities and bookkeeping. It addresses gender barriers in agricultural mechanization, improves operator competency, and increases womenâs visibility in a male-dominated sector. The programme includes workplace learning, community sensitisation, and role-model engagement. Its curriculum has since been institutionalised in national refresher courses, demonstrating sustainability and wider adoption within Ghanaâs agricultural TVET ecosystem.
This African Union Commission strategy provides a continental framework to revitalise TVET as a driver of youth employment, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. It calls for a paradigm shift towards demand-driven training, integration of formal and informal systems, and promotion of entrepreneurship. The strategy outlines roles for AU, RECs, and Member States, with priorities including governance reforms, financing mechanisms, training of trainers, research, and alignment of TVET with labour market demand. It emphasises raising the status of TVET and supporting young people as job creators.
Show only resources marked as good practices