Tanzania has no option but to embrace vital technological advancement in order to speed up the transition to an industrial economy.
Vice-President (VP), Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal
The Vice-President, Dr Mohammed Gharib Bilal, opening the International Conference for Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) at Arusha International Conference Centre on Tuesday, said:”Technological advancement in the case of Tanzania is particularly of major importance in the agriculture sector.”
Dr Bilal added that development in science and technology was a crucial determinant of the processes governing national development and the country’s position in the global economy.
“While developed countries are mulling over the post-industrial era, most African countries have not been able to adequately embrace even the technologies of the first industrial revolution,” pointed out The Vice-President.
For his part, the Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Dr Shukuru Kawambwa, stated that technical and vocational education and training was the only vehicle which would enable African countries to reduce the gap between them and first world countries as far as technology was concerned.
“It is indisputable that the contribution of TVET training in wealth creation is essential and if effectively utilized, technical training graduates could be drivers of small and medium enterprise development,” said Dr Kawambwa.
The conference has been organized by the Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) in conjunction with Arusha Technical College (ATC), National Institute of Transport (NIT) and Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA).
ATC Rector and Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, Dr Richard Masika, said the forum had brought together different scholars from Africa and across the world.
According Dr Masika, the choice of the conference’s theme was based on the recurring issue across many African countries that skills possessed by graduates of educational institutions, including TVET institutions, did not match the demands of the labour market.
“There are common complaints from employers that graduates of these institutions nearly always need extensive re-training before they can become functional in employment,” he said, pointing out that the high rates of graduate unemployment required innovative approaches to self-employment and job creation.”
He revealed that at the conference delegates would examine a number of perspectives including research and innovation for TVET institutions’ sustainability, competence-based education training; creating opportunities for employment enhancement and emerging careers and their implications for TVET.
Participants would also take time to come up with mechanisms that will bridge the mismatch between TVET training and labour market skills demand, as well as extensively discuss entrepreneurship promotion for sustainable development.
By MARC NKWAME, Tanzania Daily News
