WorldSkills Africa welcomes its first six Members

WorldSkills Africa has announced the first six Member countries since its official launch last year at the 37th Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union. The countries are Ethiopia, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Sitting within the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), which serves as the Secretariat, WorldSkills Africa is a ground-breaking initiative dedicated to advancing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) across the continent. As the work to mobilize more countries within the region continues, WorldSkills Africa is currently reviewing more applications.

The new Members of WorldSkills Africa are:

Ethiopia

WorldSkills Ethiopia operates under the Ministry of Labour and Skills. With a long-term aim to develop a competent, motivated, and innovative workforce, Ethiopia has made significant strides in reforming its TVET system with its new National TVET Strategy. A regional skills competition programme is now in place, with a structured process of awareness, selection, training, and competition organisation. WorldSkills Ethiopia became the 88th WorldSkills Member in July 2024.

Malawi

Overseeing Malawi’s TVET system, the Technical, Entrepreneurial, and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) is representing the country at WorldSkills Africa. By joining the regional platform, Malawi aims to strengthen its national skills development agenda and foster greater exchange of knowledge and best practices. Participation in WorldSkills Africa aligns with TEVETA’s mission to enhance the relevance and impact of vocational training across the country.

Namibia

Namibia’s National Training Authority (NTA) has been part of the WorldSkills global movement since 2011. In that time, WorldSkills Namibia has hosted three national skills competitions, and participated in five WorldSkills Competitions. Namibia also hosted WorldSkills Africa Swakopmund 2022, the first large-scale regional competition, which became a crucial milestone for the growth of the WorldSkills movement on the African continent. The country aims to become a leading hub for TVET in Southern Africa, particularly for trainer development and capacity building for TVET professionals.

Rwanda

As a key institution in Rwanda’s TVET ecosystem, Rwanda Polytechnic will represent the country at WorldSkills Africa. Rwanda’s decision to join aligns with national strategies and its commitment to developing a skilled, adaptable, and competitive workforce. To achieve these goals, Rwanda is developing competence-based curricula, strong industry partnerships, inclusive policies, and a focus on lifelong learning. Rwanda also hosted the first pilot skills competition in 2018 in Kigali, with six countries competing in seven skills.

Zambia

WorldSkills Zambia joined WorldSkills International in 2014, and has since taken part in three WorldSkills Competitions. The organization’s activities are driven by WorldSkills vision, and aimed at elevating the aspirations and opportunities of young people through vocational education and training. Sitting within the country’s Technical, Entrepreneurial, and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA), WorldSkills Zambia has committed to organizing the next WorldSkills Africa competition in Livingstone, which has been postponed until further notice.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s participation in WorldSkills Africa is led by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. With a vision to become a knowledge- and innovation-driven economy by 2030, Zimbabwe sees skills development as a critical driver of transformation. By joining WorldSkills Africa, Zimbabwe aims to strengthen its TVET system in line with national goals of industrialisation, youth empowerment, and economic growth.

WorldSkills Africa capacity building programme 2025

Running from April to September 2025, WorldSkills International has organized a capacity building programme, funded by GIZ and AUDA-NEPAD, bringing together TVET trainers from these first six Member countries. The programme is part of WorldSkills Africa’s broader mission to align TVET systems within the continent with industry demands.

“We have just concluded the first in-person workshop in Lusaka, Zambia after six weeks of online training. This year’s focus is on Plumbing and Hairdressing. The idea is to provide a foundational model that can be adapted and applied to other skills areas in the future. The programme is a hands-on, collaborative learning experience focusing on enhancing the capabilities of those who deliver skills training,” says Grace Lung, Senior Manager of Partnership Programmes.

By engaging directly in the development of competition frameworks and participating in mentorship sessions with Chief Experts, participants are immersed in a practical, results-oriented process that strengthens their technical and pedagogical expertise.

The programme will also support Official Delegates and Technical Delegates of WorldSkills Africa Members at the final in-person workshop in September to have a deeper understanding about the implications of the training outcomes and brainstorm ways to close the gaps for improving their TVET systems, as well as their future competition experience.

Learn more about WorldSkills Africa.