ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- China and Africa have expressed their joint commitment to closer cooperation in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to ensure the success of Africa's 10-year continental TVET strategy.
This came during a seminar organized by the African Union (AU) and the Chinese Mission to the AU on Wednesday at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
On Tuesday, the AU officially launched the 10-year continental TVET strategy, a renewed framework to empower Africa's people, particularly the continent's youth, with the skills needed for innovation, industrialization, and inclusive growth.
Addressing the seminar, Zhang Wei, charge d'affaires at the Mission of China to the AU, reiterated China's readiness to work with the AU and individual African countries for the successful implementation of the continental TVET strategy over the next 10 years.
"This new strategy outlines an ambitious blueprint for the next decade of TVET development in Africa, and marks a significant milestone to advance economic transformation and inclusive growth across the continent," he said. "China highly commends and firmly supports this historic initiative."
Zhang highlighted the transformative contribution of joint Sino-African skills development initiatives in equipping young Africans with the necessary skills to support the continent's overall development.
"I am confident that through our joint efforts, the African Continental TVET Strategy 2025-2034 will be successfully implemented, contributing to the realization of Agenda 2063 of the AU," he added.
The seminar, which brought together officials from the AU, members of African and Chinese diplomatic communities, and African officials and experts, highlighted the strategic importance of aligning China-Africa cooperation with the continental TVET strategy.
Participants emphasized the importance of fostering institutional partnerships and successful case studies that can be scaled to support the continental strategy.
Sophia Ashipala, head of the education division at the AU Commission, said the strategy envisages the creation of "an integrated, demand-driven, and innovation-led TVET ecosystem across the continent."
"Through partnerships with Chinese technical universities and joint skill innovation centers, we have seen how targeted investments in infrastructure, curriculum co-development, and teacher training can make tangible differences in TVET delivery and quality outcomes," Ashipala said.
The seminar was held on the margins of the Second Africa Skills Week. The theme of the five-day event, running through Friday at the AU headquarters, is "Powering Africa's Industrial Future: Skills for Innovation, Growth, and Sustainability." ■