TeamEurope hosts Transformation Talk on Skills Development in Zambia

TeamEurope in Zambia on February 16th successfully hosted the 5th Transformation Talk event on “Skills for Transformation” to discuss the role of skills development in the economic transformation agenda of Zambia.

The event held at the The University Of Zambia (UNZA) drew a diverse audience - from high level dignitaries to industry professionals, to lecturers and students from various universities, colleges, and vocational training institutions. In attendance was the German Ambassador to Zambia, Dr. Anne Wagner-Mitchel, the Team Leader Social Sectors and Governance, from the European Union in Zambia, Bogdan Stefanescu, GIZ’s Regional Director for Southern Africa Prof. Dr. Matthias Rompel as well as Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Zambia Prof. Boniface Namangala .

A dynamic panel, moderated by GIZ’s Country Director for Zambia and Zimbabwe, Mr. Helmut Hauschild, brought together representatives from the Ministry of Technology and Science, the Ministry of Education, Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA), Restless Development, The Solar Industry Association of Zambia (SIAZ) and BongoHive.

“Skills for transformation is particularly important for a country like Zambia with a richness of youth and dynamism,” said Anne Wagner-Mitchel during her opening remarks. “Skills development is of critical importance to achieve economic transformation.”

During his keynote address, the Development Studies Department lecturer from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zambia, Dr. Brivery Siamabele, highlighted the need for Zambia to harness the potential of the youth through skills development. “Lack of skilled workers is a major hindrance to the operation of companies because it makes them less viable in an economically competitive environment and era,” he said.

In a passionate submission, the Programme Manager for Restless Development in Zambia Mr. Gift Mwaka, advocated for skills and education needs for young people especially young women. “We have foundational problems as a country which we need to fix such as pupil to teacher ratio which negatively affects young women,” he said. “It’s not enough to only provide opportunities for skills training and even capital, because what young people value most is mentorship,” he added.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Bogdan Stefanescu reminded the stakeholders present: “Your youth is wealth that you don’t have to dig for, wealth that can be clay, copper or gold depending on the education and skills you give them.”

The Transformation Talks are an initiative of #TeamEurope in Zambia, which is represented by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Zambia, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Zambia in collaboration with the University of Zambia.

The event was organized by the Thriving through Innovative Vocational Education in the Water and Energy Sectors (Thrive) Project under the GIZ Zambia Water and Energy Cluster together the University of Zambia Business and Economics Association (UNZABECA).