International conference on regional cooperation in TVET for sustainable development in Africa

2- 8 June 2013, Banjul, The Gambia

The Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) in collaboration the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) organized an international conference on "Regional Cooperation in TVET for Sustainable Development in Africa" from 2 to 8 June 2013 in Banjul, The Gambia. The opening address was delivered by the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Ms Fatou Lamin Faye. She opened her speech with the observation that "TVET is part of the key strategies to improve individual’s well-being and society’s economic and social development", and advocated that deliberate efforts should be made to ensure access for all.

The conference featured some 56 technical papers from eight African countries, including The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda. The conference main theme branched into five sub-themes, comprising:

Challenges of sustainable development in African countries
Intra-regional collaboration for skills development in Africa
Promoting indigenous technology for sustainable development
Gender issues in Africa’s sustainable development
Innovative curriculum development in Africa’s TVET institutions

The exchange of ideas among the participants proved very stimulating. A special feature of the conference was the keen participation by senior government officials, including the involvement of the Education Ministers and the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mrs Fatou Baye, who is also a former Director-General of GTTI. The Deputy Speaker’s closing address highlighted the initiatives of the Gambian government in skills development for youth employment.

The Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) is a grouping of technical and vocational education (TVE) institutions, mostly polytechnics, from various Commonwealth countries in Africa. CAPA was formed on the recommendation of the 7th Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference held in Accra, Ghana in March 1977. It was envisaged that it would play a role similar to that of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, but with a focus on Africa. CAPA has a membership of about 150 institutions in 17 African countries, and has the main objective of promoting TVET technology transfer and skills development in Africa. CAPA meets twice a year, May/June and November/December, in one of its member countries.