The
event
will
convene
Member
States,
Regional
Economic
Communities,
industry,
academia,
youth,
development
partners,
civil
society,
research
institutions,
development
finance
institutions,
foundations,
media,
United
Nations
organizations
and
other
international
agencies
around
a
common
agenda
for
skills
development,
employment
and
industrial
transformation
across
Africa.
Africa
Skills
Week
2026
will
be
held
under
the
theme,
“Skills
for
Resilient
and
Competitive
African
Industries:
From
Training
to
Value
Creation.”
The
theme
reflects
the
African
Union’s
commitment
to
strengthening
the
link
between
training
systems
and
the
evolving
demands
of
labour
markets,
while
promoting
skills
development
as
a
driver
of
economic
growth,
social
inclusion
and
sustainable
development.
The
2026
edition
builds
on
the
success
of
Africa
Skills
Week
2025,
which
brought
together
more
than
850
participants
from
Member
States,
Regional
Economic
Communities,
industry,
academia,
youth
and
development
partners.
The
2025
edition
marked
major
milestones,
including
the
launch
of
the
Continental
Technical
and
Vocational
Education
and
Training
Strategy
2025–2034
and
renewed
commitments
by
Member
States
and
partners
to
align
skills
systems
with
Africa’s
industrialization
and
transformation
priorities.
Africa
Skills
Week
is
positioned
as
a
premier
continental
platform
for
policy
dialogue,
partnership-building
and
innovation
in
skills
development.
It
advances
skills
development
as
a
catalyst
for
industrialisation,
productivity,
decent
job
creation
and
sustainable
economic
transformation
through
enhanced
policy
coherence,
inclusive
and
high-quality
Technical
and
Vocational
Education
and
Training,
stronger
partnerships,
resource
sharing
and
the
strategic
use
of
innovation
and
technology
in
support
of
Agenda
2063
and
the
African
Continental
Free
Trade
Area.
The
Continental
Education
Strategy
for
Africa
2026–2035
and
the
Continental
TVET
Strategy
for
Africa
2025–2034
underscore
the
critical
role
of
education
and
training,
particularly
the
expansion
of
TVET
opportunities
and
stronger
linkages
with
the
world
of
work.
Africa
Skills
Week
2026
will
therefore
provide
a
continental
space
to
address
persistent
challenges
such
as
low
enrolment,
outdated
training
programmes
and
facilities
that
require
stronger
alignment
with
rapidly
changing
labour
market
needs.
The
week
will
feature
high-level
plenaries,
an
opening
ceremony
with
keynote
addresses
by
African
Union
leaders,
the
host
country
leadership
and
development
partners,
as
well
as
a
ministerial
and
private
sector
roundtable
bringing
together
Ministers
responsible
for
education,
labour
and
industry
alongside
CEOs
and
business
leaders.
These
engagements
will
support
policy
direction
and
investment
priorities
for
skills
development
aligned
with
Africa’s
priority
value
chains.
The
programme
will
also
include
technical
sessions
and
sectoral
panels
showcasing
best
practices
and
innovations
in
skills
development
across
industrial
priority
sectors.
A
Skills
Development
Marketplace
and
Exhibition
will
provide
visibility
for
national
and
regional
programmes,
private
sector-led
initiatives
and
youth-led
innovations,
while
a
Women
and
Youth
Entrepreneurial
Engagement
Platform
will
promote
career
dialogue,
innovation
pitches,
networking,
mentorship
and
opportunity
creation.
Curated
field
visits
to
selected
industrial
parks,
TVET
institutions,
innovation
hubs
and
enterprise
training
centres
in
Zimbabwe
will
demonstrate
practical
models
of
skills
development,
enterprise
partnerships
and
innovation
ecosystems.
These
visits
will
reinforce
the
Continental
TVET
Strategy’s
emphasis
on
enterprise-based
learning,
stronger
linkages
between
training
systems
and
industry
needs,
public-private
partnerships
in
dual
training,
apprenticeships,
and
the
practical
application
of
digital
and
green
technologies
in
training
and
production.
Member
States
will
be
encouraged
to
use
Africa
Skills
Week
as
a
springboard
for
country-level
action
plans
aligned
with
the
Continental
TVET
Strategy
2025–2034.
The
African
Union
Commission
and
AUDA-NEPAD
will
support
coordination,
visibility
and
peer
learning
across
countries,
while
mapping
country-level
skills
development
and
employment-focused
actions
to
deepen
ownership
and
impact.
The
Africa
Skills
Week
2026
programme
will
be
jointly
developed
by
the
African
Union
Commission
and
Zimbabwe
as
host
country.
The
African
Union
Commission
will
lead
the
invitation
and
mobilization
of
participants
across
AU
Member
States
and
relevant
stakeholder
groups,
while
working
closely
with
the
host
country
on
programme
organization,
visibility,
logistics
and
outreach.
The
week
will
conclude
with
a
commitment
session
to
synthesize
key
outcomes,
recommendations
and
stakeholder
commitments
into
a
communiqué
for
action
and
follow-up.
By
bringing
together
governments,
industry,
academia,
development
partners,
civil
society
and
young
people,
Africa
Skills
Week
2026
will
strengthen
continental
collaboration
and
accelerate
implementation
of
skills
development
priorities
that
respond
to
Africa’s
industrialization,
competitiveness
and
inclusive
development
agenda.