Governing for Infrastructure Delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa Closing the Skills Gap: Coordinating Key Actors Presentation by Jean Van Wetter Chatham House, 14 th March 2016
Main messages • Analysis first • Risk of the missing middle • Not only skills but also local and enterprise development • The challenges of coordinating key actors 2
Analysis first • Assumptions are often wrong - Demand for skills is not always what key actors expect – lessons from the oil and gas sector in Tanzania and Mozambique 3
Risk of the missing middle • NGOs generally focus on the most vulnerable people • Private sector generally focus on those with the best potential • Government generally focus on access at the price of quality All approaches are needed Role of the private sector is key, particularly with technology transfer to avoid the “ missing middle ” 4
Not only skills – need for local and enterprise development too • Not only technical skills but also generic skills (management, health & safety, English…) • Need for local and national enterprises with the right level of management expertise • Need for better planning from local Government Skills development cannot work in isolation from local economic development plans Sustainability of jobs requires transferable skills and quality management teams 5
The challenges of coordinating key actors • Who’s responsibility? Ministries, donors, NGOs, private sector, training providers? • How to reconcile different agendas? • The issues of certification and international standards? • Specific needs versus generic skills? • Local Content - Policy easy? Planning for skills? • Current restrictions on foreign workers do not allow for necessary knowledge transfers Strong Government Leadership (providing realistic targets and plans, steering weak parastatal delivery units and tackling corruption) Clear Coordination Agenda (Yes, skills development but also economic development, trade, local content and immigration policies) 6
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