Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

The British Council has rallied Nigerian Universities’ Vice Chancellors and private sector operators, with a view to closing the skills gap in the nation’s industrial sector.

At the just concluded Going Global 2024 Conference, in Abuja, Chilufya Besa, British Council Ag. Country Director of Nigeria, noted that university graduates were often ill-equipped with appropriate skills for the needed manpower in industries.

He told journalists at the post-conference press briefing, that the Going Global Africa 2024 conference was organized to bring university administrators together with other stakeholders to re-assess universities’ curricula to make them more alive to the socio-economic needs of the society.

Mr. Besa stressed the need for a relevant and sustainable tertiary education system in Africa, noting that a disconnect existed between the skills taught in institutions and those required in the workplace.

According to him, “It is about creating relevant and sustainable tertiary institutions system in Africa. This is relevant because there’s a skills gap between what is taught in the institutions and the skills that you need at the workplace.

“We wanted to put an intentional focus on narrowing that gap between institutions and industries. We brought together industrial stakeholders and academicians to talk together how that gap can be bridged I think we have been able to achieve that in this conference.”

The country director disclosed that the initiative has received significant support from the Federal Ministry of Education, and the collaborations are aimed at producing actionable takeaways to guide policy and implementation in the education sector.

Contrary to the notion of setbacks in African education, Besa noted that progress has been evident, particularly in the integration of technology and inclusivity within tertiary institutions.

The Ag. Director also made a case for greater opportunities in university education for women, girls and People Living with Disabilities in Nigeria and other part of Africa.  

According to him, “The second takeaway is on inclusion. Higher education in particular, while a lot of progress has been made at the basic education level, in terms of higher education, we still see lower progression rates for marginalised communities—women and girls, people living with disabilities, refugees, and other displaced populations.

“So I think that’s where we need to make progress. And that has been the big focus for this conference. And I can see from some of the examples that we have had through this conference that a lot of educational institutions in Africa have recognized that need.

“And some have implemented policies which are bearing fruit. So now we just need to make sure that this becomes more, not just a thing that is for the minority of the institutions, but that all institutions in Africa start implementing such.”