{"id":97817,"date":"2025-03-13T17:00:28","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-urge-stronger-university-industry-synergies-to-tackle-skills-mismatch"},"modified":"2025-03-13T17:00:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:00:28","slug":"experts-urge-stronger-university-industry-synergies-to-tackle-skills-mismatch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/experts-urge-stronger-university-industry-synergies-to-tackle-skills-mismatch","title":{"rendered":"Experts urge stronger university-industry synergies to tackle skills mismatch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Academics and employers came together in Kigali on Wednesday, March 12, to discuss a persistent \u201cskills mismatch\u201d between what universities teach and what employers need from graduates.<\/p>\n

At the 13th Academia Public-Private Partnership Forum, organized by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), delegates called for a stronger partnership to keep up with the fast-paced world, where evolving technologies require updated skills for the graduates to meet market demands.<\/p>\n

The forum brought together academia, industry leaders, policymakers, and development partners to explore strategies for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship through industry partnerships. The goal is to build a sustainable future for East Africa by addressing the skills gap.<\/p>\n

This urgent call to action is particularly relevant for the region, and the African continent which has a largely young populations. Despite this, a huge skills gap remains between the skills universities provide and what employers demand, placing \u201cAfrica at a crossroads in its economic development.\u201d<\/p>\n

The forum brought together academia, industry leaders, policymakers, and development partners to explore strategies for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship through industry partnerships<\/p>\n

\u201cAcross Africa, an estimated 10-12 million young people enter the labor market each year, yet only around three million formal jobs are created according to the latest data of African Development Bank,\u201d said Edward Kadozi, the Director General of Rwanda\u2019s Higher Education Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven those who find jobs often discover their skills are not fully aligned with their roles, with nearly half of employed African youth reporting a mismatch. As you are aware, East Africa is also no exception.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the International Labor Organization, the youth unemployment rate in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 21.9 per cent in 2023, surpassing the global average of 20.4 per cent. This growing challenge threatens socio-economic stability and underlines the need for stronger university-industry collaboration, according to experts.<\/p>\n

Africa\u2019s overall investment in research and development remains low, at approximately 0.5 per cent of its GDP, while the global average exceeds 2 per cent, according to the World Bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cInsufficient collaboration between academia and industry results in universities producing graduates who, despite their academic achievements, lack the practical skills required to meet current market demands,\u201d said Kadozi.<\/p>\n

Gaspard Banyankimbona, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa, said the event was organised around the \u201cneed for innovation and making the potential of young talents\u201d to move forward and \u201cmake impact economic development.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obvious that the job market that is represented by the industries and employers always complain about fresh graduates because they don’t meet what the industries require. Similarly, universities complain about not getting the needed support from industries. We want to leverage these partnerships to help unlock for the good of East African people,\u201d Banyankimbona said.<\/p>\n

How to leverage these partnerships?<\/p>\n

Banyankimbona said that numerous ways can be used including engagement of industries with Universities during the curriculum development process so that they meet required skills at the industry level. However, he said, \u201cindustries should also open doors for students to get hands-on-skills while at school.\u201d<\/p>\n

this is an observation echoed by Kadozi.<\/p>\n

\u201cHigher learning institutions must update curricula based on industry feedback and integrate internships to address real-world problems. With this, there won\u2019t be any blame game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Reference on the global benchmark<\/p>\n

Global and regional success stories prove the potential impact of strong academia- industry partnerships.<\/p>\n

For instance, in the United States, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has historically collaborated with major corporations to incentivizing the development advanced technologies.<\/p>\n

In China, Tsinghua University has created one of the world\u2019s largest innovation hubs integrating research, startups, and corporate R&D.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the East African Community is to compete globally, we must cultivate homegrown innovations, nurture entrepreneurial mindsets, and create an ecosystem where knowledge and industry intersect,\u201d said Joseph Nsengimana, the Minister of Education.<\/p>\n

Joseph Nsengimana, the Minister of Education addresses delegates at the forum in Kigali<\/p>\n

\u201cRwanda firmly believes that a dynamic, inclusive, and responsive education system is the key to shared prosperity. Strong academia-industry partnerships ensure that graduates become job creators and solution providers for Africa’s development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage the private sector [and universities] to take a proactive role by co-developing curricula, encouraging research collaborations, and launching initiatives that create a win-win scenario-where industries gain skilled professionals, and graduates\u2019 access meaningful opportunities,\u201d he added.\r\n