African leaders have been urged to prioritise a complete transformation of education systems to better equip young people with the skills needed to address the continent’s pressing challenges.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns, said current educational models must shift from theoretical knowledge to practical, solution-driven learning to confront issues such as conflict, climate change and environmental degradation.
Delivering a public lecture at the University of Education, Winneba, he noted that although thousands of graduates are produced annually, industries across Africa still struggle to find suitably skilled workers.
He stressed that education must be redesigned to focus on relevance, resilience and responsibility, while placing greater emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to meet industrial and developmental demands.
Dr Chambas argued that empowering students with the right mindset and problem-solving abilities was key to unlocking Africa’s potential and addressing its socio-economic challenges.
Supporting the call, Vice Chancellor Stephen Jobson Mitchual highlighted the need for tertiary institutions to adopt more inclusive and practical teaching approaches to curb rising graduate unemployment.
The lecture reinforced growing concerns that without a strategic shift in education, Africa risks widening the gap between academic output and labour market needs.
