Skills Audit and Development minister Paul Mavima says Zimbabwe is ready to grow local skills to match future job demands.
Mavima (PM) said this in an interview with our correspondent (Q) recently.
Below are experts from the interview.
Q: Minister, you have emphasised the importance of skills audit and development across various platforms, as highlighted in the media. To begin, how has the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development progressed in assessing the status of skills in the country, identifying any gaps, and perhaps recognising key global trends in the future of work? How do these trends relate to Zimbabwe's current labour market situation?
PM: The ministry has been undertaking massive multi-stakeholder consultations across key sectors of the economy. Last year, we conducted 39 stakeholder consultations. The consultations were meant to engage government ministries and agencies, industry and the academia to look at the skills landscape in various sectors such as mining, agriculture, transport, education, sports and arts, tourism, public service, and others. These consultations which were cascaded to all our 10 Provinces also provided an opportunity to envision characteristics of jobs of the future and the skills that will be required by industry.
In addition, we convened the Academia-Industry Indaba where industry experts had a dialogue on what the labour market expects from education and training institutions. The Indaba also discussed how industry can inform skills development at our academic institutions so that graduates will have employability skills that can make it easy for them to be absorbed in the job market.
These engagements highlighted that we still have huge gaps and shortages in terms of skills availability. The shortage of skills is affecting our production and productivity levels. It is imperative that the industry and education and training institutions work together and accelerate the alignment of training curricula with labour market needs. So, we are seized with ensuring Zimbabwe quickly catches up with other countries of the world in terms of the skills base that will see us achieve our national aspirations and also compete with other economies.
Q: In its recent report, the World Economic Forum underscores the growing importance of digital skills. How is Zimbabwe equipping its workforce to thrive in a digitally transformed economy?
PM: Digital skills are essential to the modern workforce as they enable employees to effectively navigate the rapidly evolving technological landscape. With organisations increasingly relying on digital tools and platforms, workers with strong digital skills can enhance productivity, streamline communication, and contribute to innovation. It is very important that our workforce is equipped with digital skills so that we can be a player in the digitised global economy.
The government has come up with many initiatives to ensure that the workforce is equipped with digital skills. Our education curricula have been designed in a way that learners start developing digital skills from primary level through the introduction of ICT studies. All programmes at higher and tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe have a component of computer studies which is critical for digital skills development.
His Excellency, President E . Mnangagwa launched the dig truck, which is a mobile computer lab that is being used to equip citizens with digital skills. This programme will reach even those who were previously in the furthest left behind communities in fulfilment of the government’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind. Zimbabwe is aiming at a massive digital skills development programme which is targeting to benefit 1,5 million youths this year.
As a ministry, together with the ministry of ICT and partners, we are in the process of establishing a techno hub. This hub will be providing digital skills training to all citizens specifically the youth and women. Recently we partnered UPANZI, an organisation from Rwanda to provide cybersecurity skills to institutions such as the University of Zimbabwe, St Peters Kubatana, Speciss College and others. As the ministry responsible for the re-skilling and upskilling of our people, we are employing a whole-of-government approach in implementing these and other programmes to orient our people towards a digital future.
Q: What implications will this digital shift have for Africa's development trajectory, and how can the continent harness this transformation to drive growth and prosperity?
PM: The digital shift presents a transformative opportunity for Africa to accelerate its development trajectory by boosting economic growth, enhancing governance, and improving the quality of life. Digital technologies like mobile money, e-commerce, and tele-medicine offer new pathways for financial inclusion, market expansion and access to essential services, particularly for underserved communities.
Innovations in digital agriculture and online education are empowering Africans by closing productivity and knowledge gaps. In addition, e-governance and digital IDs can streamline public services and increase transparency, fostering trust and accountability. Embracing digital technologies will see Africa leapfrogging its development and build a more inclusive and strong knowledge-based economy.
However, realising this potential requires overcoming significant hurdles such as the digital divide, limited infrastructure and gaps in digital literacy.
So, to harness the benefits of digital transformation, African nations must invest in digital infrastructure, promote digital skills training and create supportive policies for research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Q: The World Economic Forum's skills audit highlights the growing demand for digital skills. However, many African youths are migrating to the diaspora in search of better opportunities. How can Africa leverage the remittances sent back by its diaspora community to invest in upskilling and reskilling its workforce, thereby addressing the skills gap and driving economic growth and development?
PM: African governments can establish diaspora investment funds or skill development bonds, offering incentives like tax breaks or matched contributions to encourage remittances earmarked for education and training. These funds could be used to upgrade TechVoc training centres and support digital literacy programmes, and industry-specific skill development programmes aligned with emerging sectors such as technology, renewable energy and agriculture.
Partnerships between governments, financial institutions and private enterprises can help create formal mechanisms for directing remittances into education and workforce development projects.
Regarding the exodus of young people in search of greener pastures, I think the best way of addressing that issue for now is for African nations to tap into the expertise of their diaspora by creating mentorship networks and virtual learning platforms where professionals abroad share knowledge and provide training to locals remotely. And this is where we come in as a ministry. Diaspora communities can also sponsor scholarships, fund apprenticeships, or contribute to building innovation hubs and startup incubation centres that nurture entrepreneurial skills locally.
By strategically mobilising diaspora resources, African countries can create a more skilled workforce, enhance employment opportunities and drive inclusive economic growth, positioning the continent to thrive in an increasingly digital and globalised economy.
Q: What sort of work is your ministry doing to see to it that marginalised communities, particularly women and youth, are equipped to access and benefit from the emerging job opportunities of the future?
PM: We are working towards the establishment of a techno hub that will empower communities with digital skills to enable them to navigate future job opportunities. We are collaborating with the Ministry of ICT and the private sector to ensure that we reach out to marginalised communities in our interventions. Our philosophy, as guided by the president, is leaving no one and no place behind, so we are going down to the grassroots to expose the hidden skills found within our communities and growing them through linkages with scholarship providers, technology experts as well as tailor-made interventions that target women and girls, at policy level and also through programmes.
Q: Looking ahead, and considering the nation's Vision 2030 and the coming NDS2, how can Zimbabwe position itself as a leader in innovation and skills development in Southern Africa particularly in relation to the global trends outlined by the World Economic Forum? PM: Zimbabwe can position itself by aligning its policies and educational frameworks with global trends outlined by the World Economic Forum, such as digital transformation, sustainability and the Fourth and Fifth industrial revolutions.
To achieve this, we must prioritise investments in digital infrastructure, ensuring widespread internet access and reliable power supply, especially in rural areas. And we thank the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa for championing rural industrialisation by modernisation by bringing electricity and new energy in the form of solar and other methods to rural and remote areas of Zimbabwe. So, establishing innovation and techno hubs would nurture local talent and encourage entrepreneurship by providing young innovators with the tools, mentorship and funding necessary to develop scalable solutions.
We must also prioritise public-private partnerships to bridge the gap between industry needs and workforce capabilities, fostering a demand-driven skills pipeline that aligns with emerging sectors such as agritech, and renewable energy.
Our education system must emphasise the adoption of future-ready skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and digital literacy from an early age.
Collaborating with global institutions and leveraging the expertise of the Zimbabwean diaspora could enhance access to cutting-edge knowledge and create international mentorship networks.
Upskilling initiatives, most of which we are pursuing as a Ministry, will focus on equipping the workforce with competencies in artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity and green technologies to meet global market demands.
Improving government funding as well as private sector incentives for research and development, as well as policy frameworks that support innovation-friendly environments will also help to position Zimbabwe as a regional hub for technological advancement and skills development.
Q: What steps is the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development taking to ensure that Zimbabwe’s technical training institutions align with global market needs?
PM: Our Ministry is in the process of assessing TVET institutions for persons with disabilities. We are also looking forward to cascading the assessment to all TVET institutions across the country. The assessment is helping us identify gaps in terms of infrastructure, curricula and training requirements at these institutions. The findings will help us to recommend evidence-based interventions required to upgrade our TVET institutions to meet global standards. We need to invest in the modernisation of these institutions.
Q: Take us through what we can expect in the next coming months from your ministry when it comes to its core functions?
PM: The Skills Audit and Development ministry is set to implement several key initiatives aimed at aligning the nation's workforce capabilities with our national vision. We are going to start a comprehensive national skills audit starting with key sectors such as agriculture and tourism. This comprehensive assessment aims to identify skill deficits and gaps to inform targeted skills development programmes. The assessment will also look at skills of the future where we will be envisioning future sectoral skills requirements so that we can establish competitiveness and relevancy in the global economy.
Very soon, we will be convening a Jobs of the Future Conference to stimulate dialogue on skills requirements for jobs for the future as the world of work is constantly changing due to technological advancements.
We are working together with the Office of the President and Cabinet to assess the scholarships landscape and developing the scholarship policy. This is meant to align scholarships with critical skills requirements across all sectors of the economy.