Africa Development Impact Forum (Event 6, ADIF 2026)

We collaborate with the youth to solve like many, many, many issues, but not only solve issues, but actually co-working with them on the ground.

You are running a race and you're running as fast as you can and as strong as you can, but the problem is you're running in the wrong direction because right at the start point, it's a relay. You did not ask your teammate who's at the start point where they're gonna stop stop and where you're going to pass them the baton. And you know who this teammate is? It's the young person. This is a relay. We are in this together.

With the rate of growth and the intellectual capacity of the youth, they might be seeing something that the elders are not seeing. Youth are very energetic and they have—

they're full of potential. If they tend—

they lead some of the initiatives With their energy, I'm sure there will be some positive changes.

If the priorities that are decided on in this conference, in this forum, do not take into consideration the experiences of young women, it will be very difficult to achieve some of the goals.

For a continent whose population is 70% are youth, and indeed of which 16% or more of those are youth with disabilities, It's imperative that youth are here, they are participating, and their voice and their agency is well represented.

Youth need to be consulted in decision-making. We need action. We don't want things that to be said. We need action because what Africa wants is action.

We need to trust the youth today. We need actually to give them the space. We need to see the change. We need to see what actually has been discussed here implemented.

You cannot influence what you don't understand. Incredible work is being done throughout the continent. Let's do this together. Whether you're on the panel, whether you're in the audience, you're asking a question, it's important to make yourself seen and heard as young people. Things like this cannot happen without your presence.

I'm a youth who is angry to change Africa.

So there's been a great mention throughout the whole conference of young people being a growing population and how they're going to be so many, and it's kind of giving undertones of them being a burden.

Right?

And also, a lot of times when they are mentioned, they are beneficiaries. We are not just beneficiaries, we are active partners who are involved in the iterative process step by step.

Places like this are very good for the youths because whatever decision is being made as of now, it gets to affect us. So I urge most of the youths out there to take part because whatever decision is made or policy is made is affecting us. So we need to be able to give out our voices.

The youth can not only be just here to be heard, but also how we can actually collaborate with the youth to solve like many, many, many issues. But not only solve issues, but actually co-working with them on the ground.

You are running a race and you are running as fast as you can and as strong as you can. But the problem is you're running in the wrong direction because right at the start point, it's a relay. You did not ask your teammate who's at the start point where they're gonna stop and where you're gonna pass them the baton. And you know who this teammate is? It's the young person.

This is a relay.

We are in this together.

With the rate of growth and the intellectual capacity of the youth, they might be seeing something that what the elders are not saying. Youth are very energetic and they are full of potential. If they lead some of the initiatives with their energy, I'm sure there will be some positive changes.

If the priorities that are decided on in this conference, in this forum, do not take into consideration the experiences of young women, it will be very difficult to achieve some of the goals.

For a continent whose population is 70% are youth, and indeed of which 16% or more of those are youth with disabilities, it's imperative that youth, youth are here, they are participating, and their voice and their agency is well represented.

Youth need to be consulted in decision-making. We need action. We don't want things that to be said. We need action because what Africa We need to trust the youth today.

We need actually to give them the space. We need to see the change. We need to see what actually has been discussed here implemented.

You cannot influence what you don't understand. Incredible work is being done throughout the continent. Let's do this together.

Young people join Africa's labor market every year. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Now, if just counting to 10 feels really long, imagine having those 12 million handshakes. Imagine talking to those 12 million people. I have met Hannah, who codes into the night when the power returns. I have met Samuel Worked Leather, who understands leather before he understood algebra. I have met a boy who smells of coffee and ambition, who understands grind sizes and roast profiles better than most of us here understand policy timelines. Youth are not a wave, but we are names. Names are unrealized return. You speak of capital flows, we speak of friends too. You speak of blended finance, we blend hustle and hope. Brains that mix your bolts. You say job creation, we say pace. Youth are not the problem to be solved. Youth are an investment. Not tomorrow's workforce, today's infrastructure. Because a continent is not built on minerals alone. A continent is built with hands. Hands that turn cabana leather into export. Hands that make beans into espresso instead of just freight. Hands that carry steel and cargo to the gates of Tanger Med. I am not here to ask for applause. I am here to ask for arithmetic. If you believe in Africa, fund it. If you believe in innovation, fund it. If you believe in us, stop calling us potential and start calling us portable. So do not let our futures become side events. Do not let our names become slides. We are not a breakout session. Instead, put our names on the wall and then meet them. Meet those names at the roastery. Meet them in the studio. Meet them in the workshops at 6 AM. So when you leave this hall, let the commitments be heavier. Let the funding outlast the poor. Not 12 million, one. One at a time. When anyone asks what we financed here, let the answer be simple: names. Young people join Africa's labor market every year. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Now, if just counting to 10 feels really long, imagine having those 12 million handshakes. Imagine talking to those 12 million people. I have met Hannah. Who codes into the night when the power returns. I have met Samuel Worked Leather, who understands leather before he understood algebra. I have met a boy who smells of coffee and ambition, understands grind sizes and roast profiles better than most of us here understand policy timelines. Youth are not a wave. We are names. Names are unrealized return. You speak of capital flows. We speak of friends too. You speak of blended finance. We blend hustle and hope. Brains that mix your hopes. You say job creation. We say pace. Youth are not the problem to be solved. Youth are an investment. Not tomorrow's workforce, today's infrastructure. Because a continent is not built on minerals alone. A continent is built with hands. Hands that turn Cabana leather into export. Hands that make beans into espresso instead of just freight. Hands that carry steel and cargo to the gates of Tanger Med. I am not here to ask for applause. I am here to ask for arithmetic. If you believe in Africa, fund it. If you believe in innovation, fund it. If you believe in us, stop calling us potential and start calling us portable. So do not let our futures become side events. Do not let our names become slides. We are not a breakout session. Instead, put our names on the wall and then meet them. Meet those names at the roastery. Meet them in the studio. Meet them in the workshops at 6 AM. So when you leave this hall, let the commitments be heavier than the speeches. Let the funding Outlast the war. Not 12 million. One. One at a time. When anyone asks what we financed here, let the answer be simple. Names. Young people join Africa's labor market every year. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Now, if just counting to 10 feels really long, imagine having those 12 million handshakes. Imagine talking to those 12 million people. I have met Hannah. Who codes into the night when the power returns. I have met Samuel Worked Leather, who understands leather before he understood algebra. I have met a boy who smells of coffee and ambition, understands grind sizes and roast profiles better than most of us here understand policy timelines. Youth are not a wave, but we are naves. Naves are unrealized return. You speak of capital flows, we speak of rent scheme. You speak of blended finance, we blend hustle and hope, brains that mix your bolts. You say job creation, we say pace. Youth are not the problem to be solved. Youth are an investment. Not tomorrow's workforce, today's infrastructure. Because a continent is not built on minerals alone. A continent is built with hands. Hands that turn Cabana leather into export. Hands that make beans into espresso instead of just freight. Hands that carry steel and cargo to the gates of Tanger Med. I am not here to ask for applause. I am here to ask for arithmetic. If you believe in Africa, fund it. If you believe in innovation, fund it. If you believe in us, stop calling us potential and start calling us important. So do not let our futures become side events. Do not let our names become slides. We are not a breakout session. Instead, put our names on the wall and then meet them. Meet those names at the roastery. Meet them in the studio. Meet them in the workshops at 6 AM. So when you leave this hall, let the commitments be heavier speeches. Let the funding outlast the war. Not 12 million. One. One at a time. When anyone asks what we financed here, let the answer be simple.

Le secteur public, le message d'Ali, en même temps, Je connais certaines personnes dont, par exemple, qui n'ont pas un assez bon revenu, qui devaient par exemple aller en pharmacie puis se prescrire eux-mêmes des médicaments plutôt qu'aller consulter. Dans mon pays, vu que je suis gabonaise, j'ai une assurance maladie qui couvrait certains médicaments mais pas tous. Par exemple, une fois j'ai eu un accident et le médicament de s'improvisionner les différents matériaux tels que les scanners, les équipements, parce que je pense que c'est d'abord ça, parce que sans équipement c'est compliqué. Par exemple, pour des personnes qui font médecine, ils viennent dans leur pays, reviennent en Afrique, mais ils retournent parce qu'il y a pas les équipements, non, avec lesquels ils ont travaillé. Donc c'est principalement ça d'abord. Bon, d'après moi, je pense que les soins de santé ne sont pas nécessairement accessibles à tout le monde. Je pense que c'est plus facile pour ceux qui ont par exemple des prises en charge médicales. The first thing that we should focus on would be accessibility, and I really believe that your healthcare shouldn't depend on your postal code. You're a person, so you need to have access to healthcare. You don't need to travel miles and hours just to receive some pills or any medication. And especially in urgent cases, for example, if somebody is dying and needs an urgent surgery, they need the access immediately and shouldn't be made to wait any longer. Logique, des objectifs, les objectifs, le secteur public, le message Je connais certaines personnes dont, par exemple, qui n'ont pas un assez bon revenu, qui devaient par exemple aller en pharmacie puissent prescrire eux-mêmes des médicaments plutôt qu'aller consulter. Dans mon pays, vu que je suis gabonaise, j'ai une assurance maladie qui couvrait certains médicaments mais pas tous. Par exemple, une fois j'ai eu un accident et le médicament dont j'avais besoin n'était pas pris en charge par l'assurance. Je pense principalement d'abord les infrastructures parce que si par exemple dans mon pays, si je vais prendre un cas, On a un peu des problèmes par exemple avec l'électricité, par exemple les matériaux comme des scanners qu'il y a pas, ce qui fait que quand une personne est malade, il va falloir soit aller à l'étranger ou bien— Le message que je compte les adresser, c'est principalement essayer de s'approvisionner les différents matériaux tels que les scanners, les équipements, parce que je pense que c'est d'abord ça, parce que sans équipement c'est compliqué par exemple pour des personnes qui font en médecine, ils viennent dans leur pays, reviennent en Afrique, mais ils retournent parce qu'il y a pas les équipements avec lesquels ils ont travaillé. Donc c'est principalement ça d'abord. Bon, d'après moi, je pense que les soins de santé ne sont pas nécessairement accessibles à tout le monde. Je pense que c'est plus facile pour ceux qui ont par exemple des prises en charge médicales. Entre le secteur privé ou le secteur public, Bon, il y a un des clauses où il y a un cadre pour le secteur privé. Bon, je ne comprends pas très bien ce qu'il dit, mais le secteur public, je pense qu'il y a un morceau avant. Donc je pense que cette loi sur l'égalité, soit elle est bien soit elle est mal, The first thing that we should focus on would be accessibility, and I really believe that your healthcare shouldn't depend on your postal code. You're a person, so you need to have access to healthcare. You don't need to travel miles and hours just to receive some pills or any medication, and especially in urgent cases, for example, if somebody is dying and needs an urgent surgery, they need the access immediately.

And shouldn't be made to wait any longer.

Africa has no shortage of research, no shortage of policies, no shortage of promises. But too often, impact stays out of reach, and this is the implementation gap, where evidence is delayed and ideas fade before they are actioned and scaled up. It's time to build a bridge A bridge from policy to practice, from dialogue to delivery. Introducing the Africa Development Impact Forum 2026. Not just another forum, a fundamental break from business as usual. For months, ECA and partners have been building momentum through the pre-forum stocktake webinar series, convening experts on green minerals, AI, and jobs that Youth Entrepreneurship and Regional Value Chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area. These sessions are shaping real solutions for youth employment across Africa. One mission across three stages, where ideas compete before the forum, solutions will be discussed during the forum, and impact is tracked for scale-up. At the Africa Africa Development Impact Forum, the Knowledge Fair tells the story of the journey from ideas to action and to impact. Africa needs 15 million jobs every year, not pilots, not papers, proven and scalable solutions. During the Africa Development Impact Forum 2026, policymakers, the private sector, leader, youth, and researchers gather to discuss durable solutions. We invite you all to the Knowledge Fair exhibition area where you will immerse yourself into a journey of success stories and scalable initiatives that are building a new Africa, the bridge to a brighter future. Africa has no shortage of As such, no shortage of policies, no shortage of promises. But too often, impact stays out of reach, and this is the implementation gap. Where evidence is delayed, and ideas fade before they are actioned and scaled up. It's time to build a bridge, a bridge from policy to practice, from dialogue to delivery. Introducing the Africa Development Impact Forum. Forum 2026. Not just another forum, a fundamental break from business as usual. For months, ECA and partners have been building momentum through the pre-forum Stocktake webinar series, convening experts on green minerals, AI and jobs, youth entrepreneurship, and regional value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

These sessions are shaping

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

Ladies, bonjour. Oh, now I'm better. Ladies and gentlemen, please note that aside from a few reserved seats, you are welcome to sit wherever you prefer today. We would especially appreciate if you could take seats towards the front. Thank you. Mesdames et messieurs, vous voulez noter qu'à l'exception de quelques places réservées, vous êtes libres de vous asseoir où vous le souhaitez aujourd'hui. Nous vous serions particulièrement reconnaissants de bien vouloir prendre place à l'avant. Merci beaucoup. We will be starting in a few short minutes. Bonjour. Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the second and final day of the 2026 Africa Development Impact Forum. Yesterday we heard inspiring reflections, engaged with job-creating projects from across the continent during the hackathon, and we look forward to the results today. And participated in rich thematic sessions on a range of critical issues. We were also reminded during the impact talk of the importance of ensuring clear and inclusive communication with all stakeholders. At the knowledge fair, we explored bold ideas shaping Africa's future and of course ended the day on a high note at the wonderful cocktail reception. Today promises to be just as engaging, and we look forward to your active participation and continued contributions. Before we proceed, allow me to share a few housekeeping announcements. Access is available for Wi-Fi through UNECA Guest. The password will be displayed on the screen, or you can scan the QR code. Simultaneous interpretation is available, English on Channel 1, and French on Channel 2. Please adjust your headsets to a comfortable volume. There are prayer rooms located in the hallway adjacent to this plenary room. A health booth is also available in the exhibition area, and ushers are available to assist you if needed. For any questions or clarifications or assistance, please feel free to approach any of our ushers at any time. And last but not the least, as a reminder, we collectively agreed to adopt Japanese time for our sessions, and we will continue to adhere strictly to the schedule today. We tried yesterday, today we will be even better. Okay, so let's see how that goes. Without further ado, we will now move to the next set of thematic sessions. Thematic Session D will focus on skills development Education and Work Preparedness. It will be moderated by Mr. Reysu Ismail, co-founder and chief executive officer of Arai Consultancy— Miss Reysu Ismail, apologies. Joining her on the panel are Miss Mona Idrisu, head of youth employment and skills, African Center for Economic Transformation; Debebe Baroud, advisor, Ministry Ministry of Women and Social Affairs of Ethiopia. Yolanda Asumu, Chief Executive Officer of iCube Farm. Caroline Kubeite Usu, Technical and Vocational Education and Training Beneficiary. Mr. Agray Ndombi Doroba, Senior Education Economist at the African Development Bank, who will be joining online. And Yared Teshome, representative of the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure, Government of Ethiopia. Can you please give the panel a round of applause and encourage them? Because it's not easy being up here, so let's have a warm room. Okay, so without further ado, Mrs. Smile, you have the floor. The panel will run for 65 minutes, but if you want to use less, we will be appreciative. Over to you. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Good morning, everybody. Thank you so much for your presence. I think it's a testament to the importance of this particular session. As you all know, it's following the discussions of the May webinar and where it was highlighted some of the challenges, some of the difficulties and problems. And today, which is the whole point of this conference, is to figure out the how and the implementation of problem solving and finding concrete solutions. Without further ado, I would like to dive straight in with Ms. Mona Idrisou. In your capacity as the Head of Youth Employment and Skills at the African Center for Economic Transformation, I would like for you to perhaps discuss with us a model or a case study on policy solutions for skills development bottleneck, for example, perhaps linking TVET to industrialization policies in countries and if you can give us some concrete examples on that. Thank you.

Thank you and good morning to everyone. Great. So when we did the pre-forum webinar, one of the key issues that came up was around how do we strengthen our skills development systems that we have, particularly around TVET, which is technical vocational education. Education and training. So my— the model I'm about to submit is based on a study we released last year which looks at TVET systems in 6 African countries. So we looked at Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Niger. One very easy low-hanging fruit that we identified that could really shift impact is aligning TVET policies with industrial policies. So often what we see is that TVET policies sit on one side under the Ministry of Education, for example, and then you see the industrial policies also sit on one end, but essentially TVET is meant to feed industry, and so being able to align these It's an easy way for us to ensure that the type of skills that are coming out from TVET are the type of skills that employers are looking for in industry. So some concrete examples we found out of this was Rwanda and Ghana, where we found there to be strong alignment between their TVET policy and the their industrial policy. And in Rwanda, for instance, both of these policies are very well aligned with their Vision 2030, which makes it very clear in terms of the direction that the country is going with their skills training. In other case studies or countries, there was weak alignment. For instance, in Niger, where the issue doesn't—— whilst it doesn't align, but also it doesn't translate into the TVET institutions. So what that means is that there's weak implementation. We did not find that TVET institutions even were aware of some of the policies that existed at the ministry level, and which means that how do they then implement the policies that they are being held accountable to? So today, for me, a key thing we can move into solution or into impact is a drive or advocacy towards aligning TVET policies with industrial policies. This is something that we can take on and monitor in terms of the implementation clock, which could then have a real impact and giving both the work of ACET and ACA is a strategic position that we can collaborate on.

Thank you very much. I think it's very, very telling, the fact that you— is this study going to be something that's already available online, already published, that people can read through?

Yes, it's already published, and I think I gave a slide that has the QR code, So I'm sure it will be shown and everyone can have access.

Excellent, excellent. Thank you so much. I would now like to be curious to hear more from Ms. Yolanda Asumu, IceCube Farm founder and executive director. And if you can perhaps discuss, perhaps very similarly, a proven model or a solution to a skills development bottleneck, and in particularly looking into developing the capacity of labor management information systems. Okay, good morning everyone.

Yes, my name is Yolanda Asumu and I'm actually the CEO of iCubePharm. iCubePharm is a human resource technology company, and so we actually develop platforms that assist in workforce development and actual training. And these platforms have been proven to actually been very useful in our own community. I Cube Farm is actually from Equatorial Guinea. I'm not sure if you are aware of the country, but we actually have 100 inhabitants including non-residents. So the population is very small, but it has been really a very good environment in which to utilize our platforms in order to be able to make sustainable changes or improvements in our society. So we do have one case study that if you would like I could share. Last year we actually worked with the UNDP and the Ministry of Labor on a program, and it was a pilot called Impulso Profesional. In Equatorial Guinea we speak Spanish, so that's why the name is in Spanish. So the program Impulso Profesional, we actually worked with a lot of the companies companies that were there to create internships. And then those internships were actually published on the platform, and candidates were able to prepare their professional profiles, and they actually applied for the positions online. So one of the platforms that we have is the learning— excuse me, the Labor Management Information System. And this platform actually assists the Ministry of Labor in order to understand understand a little bit more about the data or the statistics of the youth that are in the community. So through this platform, they were able to publish the jobs, the youth were able to create their platforms, and now the Ministry of Labor has the data necessary to understand what skills are actually available in the market and where there may be gaps. So during the project, we had 80 positions that were created, which is a lot. I was very happy to hear that many of the companies were willing to participate. And I'll give you a few statistics. I had to say the population because if I say that there were 5,000 people that registered on the platform without giving context that we have 1 million inhabitants, you might think that the number is small. So we actually had 5,000 candidates that actually registered on the platform. 3,500 actually applied. We had 1,500 that were assessed. Test, excuse me, 251 were actually interviewed, 100 were recommended, and as I mentioned before, 80 were actually identified to go into the internship program. So once the program was actually initiated and the 80 candidates were applied, we also had a training program attached to it to fill in the gaps that we noticed that those individuals had in their training. So that goes to to the second platform that we have, which is the learning management system. In the learning management system, we can create different training platforms which can help to fill in the skills gap. So I appreciate the opportunity to actually speak today about the use of digitalization in solving some of our labor skills gap issues. One platform is the Labor Management Information System, and the second one is the learning management system. And both of these systems are readily available to actually collaborate with different public and private sector industries. So thank you so much for the question.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Yolanda. I think this is so interesting how you not only identified where the gaps are, but you've also put up some kind of a mechanism to ensure that you can bridge those gaps. And I'm very curious because we're going to circle back around afterwards for the next round of questions, we're going to be asking all the panelists, how can these models or solutions be implemented concretely? So we'll definitely circle back on that. Thank you so much. And the next speaker we have is actually online, Mr. Agré Ndombi from the African Development Bank. Mr. Ndombi, if you can please discuss a proven model or case study on an effective solution to skills development bottleneck, such as strengthening the capacity of member states to address skills mismatch or creating enabling environments to enhance skills development?

Thank you, thank you.

Good morning all, and I'm happy to join online. I hope you can hear me clearly. My name is Adrien Dombi, I'm a Senior Education Economist at the African Development Bank within the Department of Human Capital and Skills Development. You are aware that we, under our new president, we have what we call cardinal points. And one of the cardinal points, number 3, is turning demographic— demographics into dividend, promoting skill systems, ensuring readiness and capacity for SME ecosystems development. So in that light, colleagues, I just wanted to share something to do with investing in skills for the future at scale. And what do we mean by, by, by at scale? We need to have a scenario where we expand digital skills, entrepreneurship, science and technology and management and engineering courses, and, and something to do with lifelong learning. Uh, if you allow me, I just want to work on something to do with lifelong learning. And this is in recognition that over 80% of our economies in Africa is largely, uh, informal, which means that around 80% of young people are in that sector sector, and that's where they gain skills. So in that respect, it calls for us to really have a, a clear understanding. If we are going to address the issues of skills mismatch, then which market are we talking about? Because it is also said that out of 10 people that graduate in Tibet School, about 6 to 7 of them would end up in the informal sector. So which means there's still a problem in terms of transition from education and training to the labor market. So that means that reforms within the education and training ecosystem, it really needs to be cognizant of the fact that the market that they are bound to dwell in is going to be informal. And therefore, from the African Development Bank, when you're talking about turning demographics into dividend, it is to go where these demographics are and then harmonizing whatever is needed within that ecosystem. To see to it that it's relevant. For example, if majority of young people are getting skills in the informal economy, then lifelong learning becomes very important. And this is to speak to issues to do with the provision of prior learning. This is where we, we, we, we note that much of the learning is taking place at the workplace, and this workplace is informal. And most of this workplace, uh, it does not have what we call avenues skills upgrading, avenues to access latest technologies, and therefore we still have a problem of productivity because of the lack of that. So, so from the African Development Bank, that is an area that we want to look at and see to it that as we support members, member countries, to be ready in terms of institutional development and capacity, recognition must be done to ensure that Labor participation within the informal sector is also looked at it from the fact that it— we can make it more productive and more, more meaningful by introducing more training at their place, supporting SMEs to have technology adoption, and also having mechanism through which workforce upgrading within those spaces can lead to higher productivity. And that is the only way we will ensure that we harness that, that this particular demographic. The last aspect I wanted to speak to, uh, and I think it is very important, is the issue of, of, of trainers and teachers. Because when you're talking about the future of skills, uh, at scale, the role of a teacher and the learning environment infrastructure is very, very critical. And I'm looking at a scenario where we will have centers of excellence of teacher training within the Tivat ecosystem so that we can also recognize some of these mastercraft persons within the informal sector or in the industry that can play a role as host trainers, because they are the people who are interacting with the, with, with the market and with the industry on a day-to-day basis. One of the scenarios we have witnessed is that you realize that most of the TVET trainers, some of them can't even deliver some of the, some of the things that they are teaching because they rely on, on, on, on, on, I would say, uh, knowledge and not practical skills. And that is not the future we'd want to have in terms of training perspective. So in a nutshell, leveraging technologies, online learning, of all those things together with the review of curriculums has to of course take cognizance of where is this market that we are trying to, and how do we harness that market to bring them on board to employ, I mean to enhance productivity and employability. Also, so the bank, what we have done is that we have what we call a Skills for Employability and Productivity Strategy, which is in essence trying to speak to the things that I've just mentioned. So I'm sure we will discuss more as we progress. Thank you very much.

Yes, we'll definitely discuss more as we progress to the next rounds of questioning. So thank you very much, Mr. Numbi, and I think you've pointed out on a very interesting, important issue, which is to also not just raise the capacity for the incoming workforce when you're bringing in from the informalized sector into the formalized sector, but also strengthening the trainers' and the teachers' capacities themselves. So thank you very much. And next up, I would like to hear also from Dr. Yared Teshome from the Ministry of Urban Infrastructure in Ethiopia. I believe you're the director of policy. If you can discuss a proven model or a case study of an effective effective solution to a skills development bottleneck?

Okay, thank you. Actually, what Mr. Agari mentioned, some of the models, how they are failing in Africa, and also we can have some case studies in Ethiopia as well. So, you know, commonly we know that the skill development in the world, we do have 5 models: the school model, the work-based model, the dual or cooperative models, and the American models as well, the career and training models, and the competency-based models. These 5 models are just— it's like what we know, like liberalism, something, something— it's an ideology. But when we come to Africa, the major challenge is the issue of practicability. That means we have a lot of models. Most Africans adapting the German models, which is a cooperative model, or dual training models, which includes both both the school and the workplace, but that itself is not as successful as per the example of Ethiopia. Even if we officially adopt the dual training models or cooperative models, the problem is it doesn't— you know, sometimes taking some models from the Western or Eastern is not a kind of success to implement to the African context. So the context in Africa is different. What we can mention is more than 80% of African economy is informal and even it contributes 25 to 65% percent to the GDP, this informal sector. So just detecting this and identifying the demand, skill demand for this informal and large significant portion of the economy is not simple. As a result, we prefer as Ethiopia to adopt the pragmatic models that includes three models together. So as a case study, we do have officially adopt the dual or cooperative model, which includes both the school and practice and work, but still for the standard certification we prefer to have the competency-based model. That's very important, you know, to check that's the, the final capacity of those skilled manpower, or skill development should be through a competence. And the other model we are using is the school-based model, mainly for the, like, food and beverage, like healthcare. It needs more to practice within the school. So having some small specialized hospitals, some general hospitals attached to the Those important skills will be very important to just to have those— the skill development to have a successful way to apply. So a kind of model is that should be applied for Africa for so many reasons. Even if we can say that the informal sector is 20 to 30%— the formal sector informal sector is 2030, just still to have a decent job within this high level or large industry is very difficult. So what kind of industry Africa is having now? What kind of industry are, you know, from the demand side, it's very difficult to have that. So it should be more pragmatic Practical or checking one's own trend is very important. So that's why we prefer to have different models to integrate within one skill development system in Ethiopia. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Dr. Yared. I retain the two keywords that you've used is let's remain pragmatic and practical because, like you've mentioned, copy-pasting a solution from countries that have vastly different demographic or socioeconomic contexts and realities will simply not work. So thank you so much for speaking on that and how to make the models adaptable for this context. I would like now to hear from Dr. Derube Berhouda from the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs of Ethiopia. He's a special advisor on social protection in the ministry. And if you can please discuss a proven model— same question as for the other panelists— or effective solution to a skills development bottleneck. And perhaps in your case, you can talk more about bridging the skill gaps for women and girls. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Madam Moderator. And sincere appreciation for also to UNECA for convening this forum on such a timely and urgent theme which really touches our— the whole scenario of the economy. I think much has been said yesterday that Africa's most transformative asset is not its mineral and also not natural resource, but it is its people. So with the youngest population on the earth, the continent holds an extraordinary opportunity. See, we need to materialize this resource, otherwise, as has been said yesterday, I think we'll be in challenge. So I would just start. My colleague already mentioned and brought some case studies, but I will explain it more a little bit, specifying on women and girls. So why TVT is an urgent priority in Ethiopia and even in Africa as well. So to give you high lights regarding the figures, those who are in need of figures, that currently, if you can Google the Ethiopian Statistical Agency, our population is getting 130 million. So it is the second largest continent next to Nigeria, with the 70% under the age of 29, and 2.22 million young people entering the labor market. So if that is the case, we have the following challenge as what exhibited in other parts of Africa. We have, you know, urban youth unemployment stands 27.2%. That nearly double for young women if you compare. This is the data from the statistics and from only 3.5% of young Ethiopians access formal vocational training. And women's labor force participation is 74.8%, above the global average of course, but yet most remain informal. And low-wage work. But women hold only 14.8% of TVT leadership positions and remain underrepresented in high-value technical fields like construction, ICT, and other high-tech economies. Apart from that, you know, the women and girls are compounded with the structural barriers, like restricted access to technical sectors, as I said, and also social norms constraining occupational choice, and also weak school-to-work transitions and insufficient access to finance, and I will explain it later. So the conclusion is unambiguous, and then what the government has did to solve or to combat these challenges. So this is the— I will move to what models that we followed to curb this challenge. My colleague has already mentioned the dual, but I will take it further, that Ethiopia's integrated model. So we followed the integrated model, as my friend mentioned, that is basically based on 4 pillars. Number 1 is gender-responsivity reform. You know, Ethiopia shifted its defining question from how many graduates are we producing, like any other African countries, but now we are questioning how many are genuinely employable. That is a critical question for all of us. And then this shift also produced, you know, industry-linked curricula co-developed with employers, as my colleague said, and also affirmative enrollment in non-traditional trades has already been registered, and we have also 70:30 apprenticeship to classroom model that produces employment-ready, not merely certificate-ready graduates. So now we are now shifting our dynamics from classroom, you know, making the students in the classroom rather than attaching with industries. This is particularly been in TVET reform, but we started in the universities as well currently. So one of the results, the World Bank-supported project showed that female TVET graduate employment rising from 46% from 36% to 51%, with employee satisfaction at 85%, having introduced this model. Pillar 2 is, as has been said, now linking the, you know, the trained women and girls with employment ecosystems. We know that training without employment pathways is incomplete, and now Ethiopia links trained women directly to industrial parks. To give you, you know, the figure, women now constitute almost 84% in one of our industrial parks in Awassa, and also in industrial park, particularly in textile workforce, and 52% in agro-business parks. So this model has brought fundamental change, as you can see. And then the other, you know, example is to give you the Ethiopia Coders Initiative, where Ethiopia launched July 2024, you know, targeting 5 million youths in AI, which was the question for most of our colleagues from Africa,. But Ethiopia started to train 5 million youth in AI, data science, and digital skills with a binding 50% of female participation mandate, and over 780,000 enrolled within the first year. So this is, you know, linking trained women and girls with with important sectors. And also micro and small enterprises, one platform, and my brother said in cooperatives also providing marketing for women entrepreneurs. So this is the second pillar where we are linking women and girls with training programs. The other one is The social protection as productive investment. I think, as you— most of you know that Ethiopia Productive Safety Net Programme is Africa's largest, reaching over 8 million citizens annually. Now, that has been reimagined from a poverty buffer into a poverty exit platform. To give you a highlight on that, we have concluded UPSNAP Phase 5 last year, but now we are starting UPSNAP Program 6 this year. But in the last year conclusion, we have observed that women receive targeted skill training, livelihood grants, about 98% disbursement achieved, and access to digitized microfinance now covering 1 to 1.2 million households, and the business development support, you know, with explicit quotas ensuring women and youth are primary beneficiaries. So this is what social protection investment means. For other people, social investment is not simply a consumption, that it's— rather, it's an investment in Ethiopia. So— we are linking this program for, you know, changing the life of women and girls. The other one, or the pillar 4, is women's economic empowerment. In this regard also, Ethiopia committed to embedding our government self, you know, and the— you know, we have We introduced here, you know, training. We have introduced, apart from, you know, to give the political will is reinforced through children's training centers, NGB referral systems, and financial inclusion initiatives, and the mentorship network for young women entrepreneurs are included in women's economic empowerment. So, having said, we have achieved, you know, the significant results in this model. Number one, 84% of the industrial parks textile force is female already. That proves that gender-responsive design produces structural change. So, to give you an example, and 780,000 enrolled in ETO quarters with year one with half female, building the continent's next digital competitive generation. And the TVT female graduate employees up from 46% to 51%. Employer satisfaction at, as I mentioned, at 86%. So significant growth in women-led micro and small enterprise across urban centers. So These are the big achievements that we have registered and introducing the model that my friend mentioned and I have already mentioned to you, 4 pillars. So I think it's better to stop here and then later on I will explain a little bit. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Dr. Dr. Dérébé, I think you've also started answering the question of how these proposed solutions can be piloted, which key stakeholders can be involved. The 4 pillars that you've mentioned in the— I can see here it's a gender responsiveness, so not just asking how many have actually graduated, but how employable are they, the satisfaction level of the private sector side, and then the employment pathways where you're actually bringing in the private sector when when it comes to market linkage or when it comes to— from the university but also TVET training programs and the social protection as a productive investment. So that's— I really like that. And finally, for the women economic empowerment, so making sure that as they're developing skills, whether in business centers and such, that childcare is available, you have financial inclusion and specified women in mentorship. Programs also. So thank you for, for all this and for touching on also for the next topic. I would now be happy to hear from a recipient of, of this type of training. I have here Miss Caroline, student at Design and Technology Institute of Ghana. And if you can please share your experience as a beneficiary on how the skills that you have acquired are aligned with or linked to the area in in which you'd like to work in.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Ms. Raisu, and thank you to UNECA for this opportunity. Good morning, everyone. I'm Caroline Menomo Kubetersu, a student of the Design and Technology Institute in Accra, Ghana. So DTI is a hands-on, practical, TVET learning environment where soft skills needed for industry, as well as the core skills in precision welding, design innovation, and entrepreneurship, are taught to young people to shape them for the industry of Africa today and tomorrow. At DTI, I specialize in computer-aided design and manufacturing, and it gives me real transferable skills from interpreting technical drawings into creating 3D models with computer-aided design software like SolidWorks and Fusion 360, using computer numerical control machines to manufacture products that I design. So it has been inspiring so far and also very challenging since I had no prior background in the TVET space. I have been able to learn how to think through problem solving and ideation and I am now able to relate more with engineering tasks better. And this connects to what I would like to do in future because in future I'd want to be a biomedical engineer, and CAD/CAM is directly used in designing prosthetics, medical devices, a wide range of medical devices. Precision manufacturing skills translate to medical-grade components instruments production, and the understanding that I have gained in tolerances is critical in biomedical device fabrication. So I'm also able to make prototypes, which is crucial for everyone that would enter into the engineering space.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Caroline. I think that definitely, uh, deserved a round of applause. And I think it's really important to show people that even if you are going through a TVET type of training, you can still continue on. And like you've mentioned, you're very interested in engineering because of the kind of skills that you've developed with CAM or CAD, the computer-aided manufacturing or design. So it kind of helps you already think like an engineer, how to do prototyping from conceptualization, ideation, to actually having, you know, a type model. So thank you so much for sharing that experience. And the next round of questions is actually going to focus on how these type of models and solutions that have been discussed by the panelists can actually be implemented and who the stakeholders should be involved. So I would like to circle back to Miss Mona. The solution that you've talked about, about connecting and linking industry policies, or rather employment policies to industry policies, and how that can be piloted, and who should be the key players.

Thank you. And I should say that I really love that we're touching things from both the policy angle but right down to user experience and beneficiary experience. So well done on that. So in terms of how do we pilot? Now, because this is at the policy level, the pilot is slightly different from a typical intervention, right? Because the benefit of getting this right at a policy level is that almost every young person in TVET gets to benefit if we implement correctly. So for me, as I said, this is already happening happening in a number of African countries. We have this happening in Ghana and we have this happening in Rwanda. Ethiopia is doing great also in this alignment. So, an easy low-hanging fruit in terms of next steps is also just doing a quick scan, as we have done with this report. As I promised, if you scan this, it takes you to the full report. Is being able to do a quick scan in terms of which African countries, A, have TVET policies in place, 2, have industrial policies in place, and 3, how do we make sure that these two policies are well aligned. And to me, that is a quick starting point to make sure that we can pilot this, if I can use the word pilot, I use pilot loosely, to make sure that this is piloted and to support governments in doing so. And if you ask in terms of which key stakeholders are important in doing this, often what we find when we go into a country is that you have the Ministry of Education sitting on one end, you have the Ministry of Labour sitting on one end, Ministry of Trade and Industry industry, urban infrastructure. So we tend to have a very fragmented approach to TVET, but TVET is so cross-cutting to all of these ministries that it's important that you have that level of coordination, even at the country level. So having all these key stakeholders in one room ensures that we're achieving that alignment in terms of even annual work planning. I've sat in a number of government retreats and WEC planning where, again, you see how fragmented it is because the Ministry of Education is planning to do, say, TVET training in entirely different areas, and then you have also the Ministry of Employment doing something entirely different, and the Ministry of Trade going off and doing policies that, again, do not even align with the type of skills that are coming out of TVET. So this is just to demonstrate that getting this alignment at the policy level is extremely important to enable interventions on the ground to also get it right. So for me, these are the key stakeholders. And of course, the international development community has a role to play in ensuring that— and CSOs— in ensuring that we're advocating for this level of alignment. And finally, young people. In the work that we do, inasmuch as we're a policy institute, we work with a lot of young people to ensure that we're empowering young people with the knowledge they need so that when they do get platforms like this, they come well prepared and they know what to advocate for and they're doing so based on the right evidence. So ensuring that young people are also people at the table and advocating and pushing that some of these reforms are important and should be done and should be done quickly is important. So I hope that addresses your question. Great.

Yes, it does very well. I think you're very clear that we need to start with an initial mapping to see what exists in terms of policy and then seeing what exists in terms of from the industry side policy, if there's any alignment, and seeing who needs to be involved right from the very beginning, some kind of a common steering committee where you have the youth involved as well to make sure that you don't have doubling of efforts or different stakeholders doing work in a very fragmented way. So that was very, very clear. Thank you so much. And for Ms. Yolanda, I would like to ask you the same thing. If you can tell us concretely how can the model that you proposed be implemented?

Okay, excellent. Thank you so much for that question. Um, I think over the years we have developed different types of intelligence. One of the types that we hear a lot about may be like emotional intelligence. We were speaking yesterday about artificial intelligence, but I think what we need most now is workforce intelligence. Workforce intelligence would help us to have more information about what is actually needed in our respective societies. And digital platforms gives that flexibility to be able to create the database that we need in order to make the intelligent decisions about what is actually needed. I feel that Africa needs to have more of an effective work-based learning system. Our learning now has moved away from having diplomas and certificates. We need now more dynamic learning. And I was very happy to hear during this week that ILO actually signed an MOU, then they have 20 master trainers that are going to be across the continent that will be coming out with some training programs. Standardizing training actually helps a lot to be able to to actually train more people at a scalable level. And so one of our platforms is the learning management system. So if there is an organization that is actually standardizing trainings, those trainings can actually be published on a learning management system and access can be given to more than just those that are in the classroom. We could actually scale this and actually cross borders with it. So IQPharm actually began in 2015 with the signing of the Agenda 2063. In that agenda, there are actually many points that actually apply to IQPharm. First is digitalization, and the other is the free movement of people across borders. By having platforms of this type, like the labor management information systems and learning management systems, we actually actually begin to erase the lines between our countries and we actually become one in terms of workforce intelligence. We actually know what is actually available and we can begin to learn from each other so that we can scale and grow much faster. So in my— in conclusion, I won't take much time, I feel as though digital platforms would be something that could align with all pilot programs. In terms of workforce development. They can be specialized, they can be personalized for each type of program that is actually being developed, whether it is for youth, for internships, whether it is for women empowerment. Really, platforms give us a lot of flexibility, and then we can begin to learn with each other, and then we begin to build our workforce intelligence together. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Miss Yolanda. And also, if you can discuss a bit about who the key stakeholders should be part of the— in the solution part.

Thank you so much for the reminder. Um, really, in these platforms, there are, um, 4 major stakeholders. First is the public sector, which has, as Mona mentioned, they come out with the policies and everything, but then We also need the private sector to be involved in terms of the companies actually telling us what they need. And then we need the institutions that are also involved to make sure that we deliver and we're able to deploy what is needed for the workforce. And then the third is actually the international organizations in helping us to guide, to identify what is actually needed. So all of these stakeholders need to— can come together. Together in small pilot projects in order to be able to identify what the needs are in every region. Because I think it was mentioned before that we cannot copy and paste. We actually need to personalize the solutions that we're going to have. So in each region, if we can have these four stakeholders together, which would be the public sector, the private sector, the learning institutions, and also the international community, I think we will be very successful in creating a workforce intelligence for the continent of Africa. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Ms. Yolanda. I really like the term workforce intelligence. It's definitely the first time that I've heard of it, and you definitely have a lot of experience coming from the private sector, whether it's from your labor management information system or the learning management system. So thank you very much for those insights, and I would like to now hear from our panelists You have discussed about how you can support member states and how to help the youth working in the majority informal sector to get them more formalized, and as well as how to better train the teachers and the future trainers. So perhaps if you can discuss more concretely on how these solutions and the models that you have discussed can be piloted, and of course, who the key stakeholders, partners could be for the implementation. Thank you.

Thank you very much. My previous speakers have also alluded to this. Allow me to start from the point that, of course, as I mentioned, Pneumonitis is real, and therefore we have to tackle that demographic dividend. So, first things first, I think we need to look at upgrading traditional apprenticeships with modern technical and business skills. And this can be very deliberate with the industry, by the industry, and of course with the training institutions. So we know very well that apprenticeships happen, a lot of people are learning on the job, young people are learning on the job. And therefore, we need to ensure that we look at those traditional apprenticeships and then formalize them and make them more polished because I don't have has a very clear combination on how to transition and make apprenticeships very quality. So using those ILO frameworks on quality apprenticeships, we could clearly transit these young people into quality skills. The other aspect is, as we look at apprenticeships, is to consider modularizing some of these TVET programs and then making some micro-credentials because Colleagues, you know very well that vulnerable groups do not want to spend 2 years, 3 years in TVET schools learning because they have other responsibilities. And most of them have parental responsibilities, and therefore the inflexibility of our learning environment really again excludes them. And therefore providing avenues for in and out with a clear microcredit which can be accumulated over time and then are converted into awards could could also be a pathway to being inclusive, but more importantly, leading to young people and of course the majority be able to have a meaningful skill. The other thing that is very important, as I mentioned, the issue of being future jobs, is that of course it's changing rapidly because of the issue of technology, climate transitions, and therefore we go where they are. If young people are in informal economies, and as I'll stick to that because that was my subject. The issue of upskilling and reskilling is very, very, very vital. And this can be done through sectoral groups. I know most countries have what we call sectoral approaches to skills development where a sector, for example tourism, has a regulatory body which can clearly demonstrate that within those informal economies that are in tourism, for example, they could have skills upgrading and reskilling mechanisms through which those young people that are in that space can be reskilled and upskilled to conform to either climatic transitions or— and also many technologies that are within that space. I've used tourism as an example. Sorry, the other aspect that I mentioned I don't want to repeat, but use of digital learning platforms is important, uh, because young people now are on TikTok, are on Facebook, book, but we can take learning to where they are. And therefore, these platforms are also very, very critical because informally they will be able to learn from those places. Lastly, lastly, colleagues, the government will not cross this script alone. We will need a lot of private sector partnerships. And the how, for me, I have alluded to, is strengthening the sectoral bodies within the economy, of our economy. Of economies. Each country has priority economy, I mean, development priorities, and they're structured within what we call sectoral groups. If, for example, productive sectors within a country X is agriculture, and, and then that country, for instance, has organized itself, then those learning platforms within that space can be utilized, can be developed nationally, and then it is used deliver knowledge, because without that, without the private sector working together with government and training providers, we will not be able to close this gap. I'm final— I finalize— I, I finalize by submitting the role of a teacher in the process, uh, and, and this— and we need to really define through the systems who is this teacher, because the formal interpretation of a teacher is the one that is in a formal private schools, but we know very well that some of these teachers are in those informal spaces. So stretching our hand to reach them is very important. So we have concluded the fact that statistics are only as strong as those who deliver them. And then because we know those who deliver them are not only confined to a school environment, then we have really extended that. Finally, finally, so I've said finally many times because there are many issues to discuss, We could also be radical, colleagues, and say that if this use of funding could be linked to outcomes rather than the numbers and enrollment, because most of this thing is good, just churn out numbers, churn out numbers without stepping back and doing a satisfaction survey without looking, without looking at those studies and without asking themselves Are our employment outcomes good enough for us to continue training? So those are some of the few issues that I want to put to the fore. And of course, these are the things that through our new president, Dr. Sibi, we have to come to a conclusion that we have to support ourselves as Africans and then be able to develop some of these radical digital sectors with some —support for development and certain specific things. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Ndombi. I particularly retain that you have highlighted that the flexible learning environment is very important, whether it's from the digital space or the physical space, and the private sector partnership being also key, and sectoral groups or learning groups that are going to be informing policies through the the work of monitoring programs, because of course, you know, data is very important. So thank you very much on that. I was also told that we have just a few minutes left on this panel, so very briefly, Dr. Yared, if you can also share, based on the different models and solutions that you have talked about, how can they be piloted and who the key institutions or stakeholders be— who should they be? And which perhaps, if you can also touch on which key activities could be undertaken, for instance, in the next 12 months?

Thank you very much. Actually, the stakeholders are already mentioned, but these actors should be, again, it should be more practical, you know, in case of Ethiopia, in case of Kenya. You know, some of the successful TVET models in Kenya is very known, and in Ethiopia, the integrated model or the pragmatic model is also one of the successful model in the skillful or skill development trajectory. But I want to put some of the issue of piloting. You know, in education and skill, issue of piloting is not a simple thing. It's a generational thing. It's a generational— you know, in most— I don't want to actually generalize with the word most, but in Africa, one of the challenges, you know, we are changing our models and even educational system after generation. Because we were copying all these things from the West in East. And then since the ecosystem is the same— since it's not the same with the ecosystem of Africa, it gets just unsuccessful for those models. So the That's why taking one model and just practicing with that is not recommendable from the Ethiopian practice. So we prefer to have these integrated models and, you know, it depends on the sectors we are working. In agricultural sectors is different from the health sector and the food and beverage is different. The textile is different. Look, even in this— in the case of gender, in the case of technical skills we are looking, in the case of creating the decent job, all these important issues are very important to work on. So the case of pilot, what my brother Dr. Tebebe mentioned, is one of the best pilots we have check is through the industrial zone. You know, in Ethiopia we do have more than 16 industrial zones, and from this, some private sectors, private industrial zone, and certain from these 16 industrial zones, some of them measure around 30, the Special Economic Zone, who more interdisciplinary to have different sector workers inside. So the case of Hawassa Special Economic Zone, actually now it's upgraded to the Special Economic Zone from industrial zone. So in there, a very successful— the link between the industry and the TVET school or the skill development centers is proved. So for that matter, even it is more gender, uh, advantage. As we have heard, 84% of that industrial zone is with the successful, uh, majority women. Not only that, actually, when we say this, in the piloting such kind of things, there are a lot of challenges. Even we we recognize. One is like, even if we do have a very skillful, uh, youths, but the problem is the minimum wage, the salary, you know, with having more, you know, in the big industrial zones. This we have changed it recently, before, uh, one year, just to more to attract the domestic investment rather than only checking or making things backhand for the foreign direct investment. So even just considering Ethiopia as a very cheap manpower, that hurts the skilled manpower to have a minimum wage. That minimum wage affects, uh, the interest of those skillful So that this, you know, it changes the ecosystem of that successful application of the models. So the issue of other externalities, like salary, like the workspace, that affect us how we can even to make our progress into the one of the successful models to apply with a single area of engagements like Awasa Industrial Park or Awasa Special Economic Zone. So there are other factors that affects the piloting, so those integrated ways to apply things. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Dr. Yared, for this Thank you for this intervention. And before I give the last word to Dr. Derepe, I know that we've talked a lot about the linking of TVETs with industry, with policy, making— changing our educational system models to make it more integrated and sector-specific. So I'd be very curious also to hear from Ms. Caroline as a beneficiary, if you can, perhaps from your experience, if you can speak on a little bit about What gaps do you think that TVET is not currently addressing, and if you can, in providing the young people with the skills and preparing them for the current and future job markets?

Thank you again, Miss. So TVET is doing a lot, but it's not covering what it should entirely, in that there is still a lack in digital fluency. So with AI emerging and a whole lot of big-time industrialization, there is still no linkage in what we are studying currently with the advancements in AI. Because now AI is used to generate designs and even used in manufacturing. But in the classroom, we are only taught how to do it manually and not taught how to integrate AI into it. So this needs to be addressed so that as we are going into industry, we do not become obsolete. Also, there is weak industry linkage in most technical and vocational institutes in Ghana. Unlike DTI, where we have— they have partnerships with Mastercard and other industries, we are able to go and have immersions twice every week, and after our program, we have internships. But most TVET schools don't have this opportunity, meaning people just graduate and you don't have any linkage to real work. So there is almost no pathway for them after the training program, and credentials are not always recognized. For example, if I come from Ghana and I have my CTVET certificate, it's not really recognized in Ethiopia. So I would have to go through another training program here before my skill sets can be recognized. And there's also very little exposure to emerging technologies like additive manufacturing and simulation in software, like I mentioned. So these are key gaps that need to be addressed. And to strengthen TVET for today and tomorrow, I believe that we should embed in industry partnerships with the school system. So educational institutions and industry leaders should co-design curriculum so that students are trained with what industry actually needs now and tomorrow, and not what industry needed 10 years ago. And apprenticeships programs should be created so that when students are in school learning, they are able to go in and have real work experience. Experience. There they develop both their core skills and soft skills needed in their particular trade. There should also be a continental recognition framework where TVET people from— TVET students from other parts of Africa can work in other places regardless of where they had their training. And trainers should also be trained, as in our teachers should be trained to the current status of what industry needs so that they are able to impact that knowledge onto the students. We should also push for more investments and partnership with private institutions that are already pioneering these models that the other panelists have mentioned. And TVET should be linked to Africa's big development agendas. I still realize that most people see TVET as a second option for people who do not want to go to the university, but it's time we look at TVET as a tool that we can use to advance Africa and, and actually eliminate poverty, because we need both the university system and the TVET system to make Africa's economy as it should be. And lastly, we should update the current curriculum so that it matches the industry trends that we need in Africa and not necessarily the trends that are in Europe or America. So we should design a system that actually works and works well for Africa. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Miss Caroline. I think that was very, very excellent with very pertinent points. And for Dr. Deraube, I think we have about 1 minute if you can perhaps discuss about how we could implement one of the pilot programs that you have discussed in your models.

Thank you so much. I think 1 minute. I think we follow the 3-phase pilot design. That's what we are currently doing. Is just we start from diagnosing the challenges, the gaps, the skill gaps that we have by mapping skill gaps in targeted regions. And then we just assess TVET capacity, whether it addresses these challenges or not, and then the sector demand. And then we follow follow. With this process, we engage, you know, the employers to define the targets, whether, you know, we are on the correct track or not to. And then finally, we co-design, you know, the gender-responsive training packages. So this is Phase 1. In Phase 2, now we just implement. So this is the implementation phase. So we enroll women and girls in targeted TVET program once we just diagnostic the problem and then deliver competency-based blending training and then followed by structured apprenticeship with private sector. And then job matching, seed capital, and placement services would be included in the program., and then finally we'll just have evaluation and scaling phase. So in this evaluation phase, we just measure the employment and income outcomes, whether the model is effective or not, so— and then assess gender-related barriers and enablers, and then document good practices and lessons, and finally we develop national scale-up strategy as has been what we are doing. Thank you. One minute is enough.

I do have many, but— Thank you very much, Dr.

Durepe. I think this comes to, you know, at the closing of the session, we have the next panel that's going to be starting very soon. I think this was one of the largest panels that we had over the past two days. We can tell there's a lot of interest when it comes to skills development, education, workforce preparedness. So unfortunately, we will not be able to handle a Q&A session with the audience, but please remember these faces, these panelists. They will be here, and I really encourage you to continue any discussions or engage with them directly, so if you have questions, that is. So I would like to invite you all to give a big round of applause to the panelists. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mrs.

Smile, and our esteemed panelists. I see Danny over there asking you to please rise for a group photo. While they're rising, please give them yet another round of applause and look at their faces very closely so you can look them and ask them any questions that you might want. As we wait for the next panel to come up, we kindly encourage you to use the hand sanitizers positioned throughout the hall in light of current health considerations in the region. Thank you for your cooperation. All right, we now move on to our next thematic section, Session E, on Green Industrialization and critical minerals. This session will be moderated by Ms. Marit Kitao, Economic Affairs Officer in the National Resources and Food Systems Section of the Climate, Food Security and Natural Resources Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Joining her on this panel are Ms. Chema Triki, co-founder of Growth Teams. Mr. David Koza, Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director at Integrated Geoscience Solutions. Mr. Tabi Tabi, founder of Granville Energy. Mr. Deshan Naidoo, founder and managing director of AfriVolt. We kindly ask all panelists to please take their seats. Please give them a round of applause as they come up. Encourage them. Please give them some smiles. And we didn't do this this morning, but can you say good morning to your neighbor on the left and on your right and say, "Hi, I hope you had a good night's rest. I hope you had some of the cocktail. If you didn't have, you missed because there's no cocktail today. Sorry." All right, I think we're good. The session will run for 65 minutes. If you want to use less time, that's okay. We have our honorable timekeepers that will be coming up to remind you of how much time you have left. Ms. Kitau, you have the floor. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Anke, for the introduction. Welcome everyone to this session. It's still in the morning, so we need to have some energy. I see the youth, but yes, let's have some energy. That's what we want. The session is on critical minerals and green industrialization. At the opening yesterday, we were reminded that we were not just about natural resources, but we can combine both. What about how about we use our natural resources our critical minerals, to create jobs and have a youth force that is employable. This is the topic of today. Good morning, distinguished guests, colleagues, young people, youth, and partners. Let's start by this question: how many jobs will Africa create from this green transition? We talk about all this green transition, but are we talking about the skills, the jobs that will be created? We will not talk about how much cobalt we will export or how much lithium we will— this is not the topic of today. So today we talk about what is it for the youth and what is job creation through these natural resources. So we know the statistics. Africa is home to many of these minerals needed to grow global energy transition, yet history always reminds us that processing resources is not is the same as capturing value on the continent. So for decades, Africa exported raw materials and imported finished goods. We generated revenues but too often missed industrialization, technology transfer, and large-scale employment for our people. Today we have another opportunity. In Africa, we have the Africa Mining Vision, we have the Africa Green Minerals Strategy, and we also have the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement that provide frameworks for a different future, one where minerals become a foundation for green industrialization, regional value chains, entrepreneurship, and jobs. So our discussion today is about development and economic transformation using our resources. We have a very good panel today to answer this, and it— ADEIF wants us to identify practical solutions, and we are here for the practical solutions. Questions. We're not just going to talk, and we know that our speakers will just do that. So I'll begin with Ms. Shema Tricky. She's Managing Director of Growth Teams. She's a leading voice on industrial transformation, growth ecosystems, and implementation pathways. I also have on my left Dr. David Kosa. He's the Technical Director of the Integrated Geoscience Solutions. He's a geoscientist. He's— he will bring deep expertise on resource governance, geological data, industrial planning, and skills development. We have Deshan Naidu. He's a founding and managing director of AfriVolt. He's working in the forefront of battery technologies and emerging clean value chains in Africa. As you know, batteries require these minerals, and we have somebody who's championing this. And on my far— oh, here, Tabitha B. is the founder and CEO of Granville Energy, driving innovative solutions, linking energy access, renewable energy, and industrial development. You see that we come from various areas, but we are trying to link to have some one implementation that we can talk through. So, solution intervention. So I'll start with you, Mr. Matrici. Across Africa, we hear much about green industrialization, but implementation still is a challenge. So what is the single most scalable model Africa can adopt to create jobs from green industrialization? And you can go on the podium because we want to energize the floor, so you can go on the podium so that, you know, you can address directly and propose your solution, and then we'll come to to the implementation part. I hope the podium is ready. Yes, it's better because we want to energize people when you talk to them directly.

Good morning. Great to see you all and great to be back to Ethiopia, a place I called home for 3 years. It's always a pleasure coming back here and seeing the transformation of the country. The question is obviously a very difficult one to address in one answer, but maybe some level, some definitions would help us understand what are the type of solutions we have. When we talk about industrialization, we actually mean— industrialization means generally two objectives or two development objectives that are competing and that have some trade-offs between them. When we talk about industrialization, we hear job creation, but actually, One of the foremost development objectives about industrialization is productivity gains because it is all about catching up and it's all about how developing countries can converge in their productivity levels with developed countries. Productivity gains is one important, if not the most important objective when we talk about industrialization. Job creation is obviously a second objective that is really important. Why am I saying this? Because actually, these two development objectives can be competing. When we talk about different sectors that can drive transformation, that can drive industrialization, including green industrialization, these two objectives do not necessarily go hand in hand. I'll unpack what that means. That's the first definition. Then the second definition is green industrialization. What does it mean? Is it an oxymoron? Is it really possible? When we talk about green industrialization, we think a lot about energy systems, we think a lot about green minerals. In the case of, of Africa, it is actually— if we take a broader perspective, it is actually about greening the traditional or the existing value chains that we have. So greening all the production processes that we have. That can be energy, that can be treatment of water, of, of effluence, of water, of recycling, of industrial waste, etc., etc. But then it is also about entering new green industrial value chains, right? These value chains that are emerging, whether in green transportation, green renewable energy. We talk a lot about the batteries for renewable energy storage and then for electric vehicle and two-wheelers. Why I'm stating this, because it is important to know what is the universe that we're talking about and what are the possibilities. Then today, we should not talk about industrialization without talking about green industrialization, whether it is about greening our current industrial value chains or about trying to enter new value chains. Now, coming back to the question about what are, what is the possibilities for job creation for youth, in these two, let's say, pathways of value chains for green industrialization. One thing I talked about, job creation and productivity gains. When we look to all industrial value chains, almost virtually all of them, there is a trade-off between these two development objectives. The steps in the value chains in textile, in automotive, in electronics, in green mineral processing, in electric battery processing, a production, the steps that are the most technology-intensive, capital-intensive, that basically would lead to higher productivity gains, are not the job-creating ones. The job-creating ones tend to be— if we look into manufacturing, they tend to be into the final step of the value chain, about assembly, right? These are the assemblies for electronics. That's how Egypt is now creating a lot of jobs in electronics. Textile and apparel. If we talk about textiles and apparel, North Africa has been leading on that for a while now. East Africa is catching up, Southern Africa as well. Automotive, it's also about assembly. Then automotive is a bit more complex because it's what type of assembly you can have. Completely knockdown assembly, as you can have semi-knockdown assembly, and the completely knockdown are the ones that that have a little bit higher productivity gains and all that. So when we talk about— why am I saying this? When we talk about job creation, we should not— when, and, and when we think green industrialization in Africa, everyone is going to think green minerals, value addition to green minerals, which is important. But unfortunately, those are not— this, that's not the step that holds a lot of potential for job creation for youth. So we need to look as well— it's not an either-or, It's actually— and we need to look into value addition because that's productivity gains that we can have. That's more productivity gains in our economies. That's also technological know-how. And Schumpeter had told us that for now, you know, decades, that it's actually technology is everything about industrialization, economic transformation. But then we should also look at the end of the value chain in assembly. And there is one opportunity that I believe is extremely strong, is the assembly of battery for two-wheelers. Why? Because actually, for many countries, the two-wheelers demand is exploding. I've worked on that in East Africa. The numbers are mind-blowing. But then also, it is the segment that is the most electrifying because for a very simple reason is that Actually, the consumer cost, the operating consumer cost is between 30% and 40%, if we talk about East Africa, at least where I worked on this issue, it is about 30% and 40% less expensive than fuel-based solutions. It is actually, for the consumers, it is cheaper to electrify their two-three-wheelers rather than go for gas or for fuel, for oil. Then the two-three-wheelers are all of them imported from where? From India. Mostly, actually, even more than China. And the assembly of two-three-wheelers as vehicles are not necessarily— it is a bit more— it's a volume game, is highly— much more volume game than potentially a lot of other industrial activities. But what's interesting when we talk about green industrialization is that the battery, the assembly of batteries for these mobility, new mobility solutions solutions is actually technologically very feasible. It is not a challenge for us to do it. A number of people are doing them in their workshops, but what we need is a sort of standard of the market to be able to leverage the, the market, uh, the, the size of the market. Now people can import any type of battery anywhere, so the market, the shallow market in many countries— when we talk about markets, it is at the national level— we need to understand that it's quite shallow. But if we aggregate at the regional level and then at the continental level, then the equation starts to be a bit more promising. But then if we also not only aggregate but standardize across for us to leverage that market size, then that's when we become really, really interesting on the— and we have a solution. Should I stop here? Okay.

Thank you very much, Shaima, for being very practical and pragmatic. I always like working with you because we can't aspire with her. She will tell you, "Oh, this is not possible. This is where jobs are. This is not there." So we like the pragmatic ways and we heard you that it's mostly on the manufacturing side, not on the initial side that the jobs are creating, are being created. And so it's a good segue to Dr. David Cozza. So David, industrialization begins long before a factory is built, right? It starts with knowledge, skills, and we had a very good segment— session just before us on skills and institutions. So from your perspective as a geoscientist, what skills and institutional investments are needed today to prepare youth for tomorrow's green industries. You can also go in the podium. I think it's better for impact, but keep time, please. Thank you. Good morning, everybody.

So I'm from South Africa, so we're not going to talk about soccer today. I'm going to talk about things that are more interesting. Um, so a big problem that we have, at least as far as mining, uh, even before mining, exploration, is we actually need to find these critical minerals, right? So we have a problem in a sense that the people who need to find these minerals, at least in an African sense, these scientists They are on foreign payrolls. Some of us are lucky to come back to work in Africa, but the majority of them are sitting somewhere in the West. So we need to get them back. Now, we have another problem in a sense that— and some of it has been mentioned before— that the skills that are coming out are more generic instead of more specific to what we need as an industry, and, and that needs to change. So, um, I think a big part of what we need to do is look at the demand instead of the supply of these, of these, of these skills. So as was mentioned before, the mistake that we keep on making is that industry is not in the room when we discuss what training is needed. We need to— the problem is how do you get industry to participate in these skills development process? So you have to incentivize them, right? So industry is not going to spend their money if they're not going to get a reward. So how do you actually do it? What are the practical ways to get industry into the room? One of it, One of them is very simple and has been tried before, is tax incentives, tax rebates, and things like that. The model that seems to work, at least in the case of South Africa, is via the CTAs, which is a levy grant system. You pay a portion of your payroll as an industry, but then you get it back at a later stage, as long as you invest in training that is accredited. You could also force the industry to do it, which is not— sometimes it's frowned upon, but you know, the local content laws do work in a sense that you could tie those, the skills development, to mineral and mining licenses. And one of the critical things that we need to do is that we have training centers that are away from— spatially located away from the mineral corridors. So we sit in Johannesburg, but we're looking at lithium in the southern part of— on the northern part of the Northern Cape. It's this co-location of where we actually need the skills versus where The training needs to happen, that also needs to be looked at. So these centers of excellence need to be located near these mineral corridors. If you have a big copper belt in Zambia and the DRC, but people are sitting in Lusaka, it's not going to work very well. So we need to put the training where the actual work is, which is the main message. The other things in terms of skills is to recognize what we already know., right? So we have hundreds of thousands of young Africans in the artisanal mining sector, yet we treat these people like criminals, right? So in many of the African countries, we don't recognize them. We think that they are a nuisance. So the fact that they are already working and mining, that is not informal knowledge, okay? So this is a foundation of formal qualifications. So we need to bring them on board formalize them, building pathways to recognize them officially and upgrade their ASM experience. The truth is that as explorers, we are using the galamseys of Ghana to look for mineral deposits. We follow them, right? They know how to look for these things, so we must use that, the knowledge that they have. And you can look at Ghana, you can look at South Africa in the case of the so-called zamazamas. It's exactly the same trend. We use them to find these mineral deposits. One of the solutions was already, um, um, mentioned in terms of the, the, the, the recognition of the skills across the continent. Okay, so if you are a scientist studying in Ghana, you need to be recognized, uh, you can do the similar sort of work, uh, in, in South Africa. So If we don't formalize that at a continental level, we're going to have these sort of problems. We're not going to have this thing that we're— the Africa vision of enhancing mobility if we still have those disparities in terms of continent-wide accreditation. All right, I will stop there.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Dr. Kosa for mentioning that, you know, you have to incentivize the industry to come for the trainings. That's a very good point because there's always— and the session before us also mentioned that there's a disconnect between what is provided in the— and what the industry wants. So there has to be a matching in local content. And I also like the fact that you mentioned the skills recognition, and that also was in the previous session, having a skills recognition across the continent. The Africa Criminal Strategy actually calls for that. There's the Africa local content, meaning that, you know, if you have that skill in one country, you should be able— but it's still an aspiration, it hasn't gone. But it's— I think we should think around those terms since we are trying to have something implementable. Now, I turn to Deshan. Deshan, batteries are often presented as Africa's next frontier, so to speak, because of what they require, and we have the minerals, and the batteries technologies are there. What practical opportunities exist for African youth in this battery and energy storage value chains? You can also go on the podium there.

Members of the executive of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, distinguished delegates, Friends, fellow panelists, and the younger people in this room who will outlast every proposed policy we discuss in this forum, good morning. I'm so happy to be here. I'm so happy that for the first time in many years I actually prepared my speech. Ever since I visited the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, I've always wanted to stand on this podium, and walking into this room yesterday, and seeing the monitors with the yes, no, and abstain voting options was surreal. My name is Deshun Naidoo, and I am the founding— I'm a South African entrepreneur in both finance and engineering. I want to start with a question, not a rhetorical one, a real one. If I asked you to name the heart of Africa's industrialization, what would you say? Minerals, renewable energy, manufacturing, trade corridors. All of those answers are correct, but all of them are also incomplete because none of those things work without somewhere to store the energy that powers them. A mine running on solar needs energy storage. A factory running on embedded generation needs energy storage. A data center, a cold chain facility, a hospital, a university campus trying to escape the grid, they all need energy storage. You see, energy storage is not a component of African industrialization. It is the circulatory system. Everything else depends on it working, and now the world is coming to that realization too. There is actually no green without energy storage. This is why I started AfriVolt, a company pioneering battery manufacturing right here on this continent, in my country. We have a joint development agreement with one of the world's largest battery companies, and we've made unprecedented strides to land Africa's first homegrown gigafactory. I tell you this not to pitch AfriVolt, but to make a point that is directly relevant to this session. The enabling conditions exist, the minerals are here, the engineering graduates are here, the demand is growing. What is lagging is the policy urgency and the speed of capital deployment. Now to the question of youth. Battery and energy storage manufacturing is a layered value chain. Upstream, you have the critical minerals or the minerals like lithium, manganese, etc., most of which sits in African soil. Midstream, you have the processing of these minerals to battery grade, and downstream you have cell manufacturing, pack assembly, battery management systems, field deployment, commissioning, operations, and maintenance. Every single layer requires technically trained people. And Africa should produce them. The gap is actually not talent. The gap is that industry is not yet at the scale where the talent can be absorbed. This is the loop that we must break. You cannot build an experienced workforce for a sector that does not yet exist at an operating scale. So the task, the urgent and specific task, is to get anchor manufacturing facilities built and operational. A single 5-gigawatt-hour battery manufacturing plant employs hundreds of people directly and thousands, tens of thousands through the supply chain activity. It creates an apprenticeship base, it creates a commercial reference point, and it signals to the next investor that the risk is worth taking. In the immediate term, the deployment market is already there, Every solar hybrid installation, every embedded generation project, every industrial battery energy storage system being commissioned across the continent right now needs people who understand battery systems. That is a skill set that is trainable within the next 12 to 18 months. It is an entry point that does not require waiting for a factory to exist. But I want to be honest about something, and I say this with the deepest respect for the institution and for this convening. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has been central to shaping industrial policy on this continent for decades. The work done here matters. And yet, when I look around rooms like this one, at the senior advisory structures at the special envoys, at the policy architects, I see remarkable experience. What I see less of is youth. Not youth as a program beneficiary, but youth in the room where the decisions are actually made. If we are serious about building youth-centered value chains, that orientation has to exist at the level of strategy and not just implementation. The ECA has an opportunity to lead by example in this inaugural forum to establish advisory structures that bring youth industrial practitioners into the policy conversation at the highest level. I would welcome that conversation. But right now I want to close with one thing that actually matters in a room like this. Everything that I have described, the manufacturing facilities, the skills pipelines, the policy frameworks, the financing and structures— none of it builds itself. Someone has to go and do it. To the young people in this room, you are not the future of Africa's industrialization. You are the present. So when deciding yes, no, or abstain, vote yes, because the energy transition is not waiting for us to be ready., so we cannot afford to wait either. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Deshawn, for these remarks, and really I want to applaud you because it's surreal that there's a gigafactory of battery that is in Africa and that you helped shape that. And we hear you about the youth, and I think this forum, the Africa Development Impact Forum, is exactly what it's about. And I think going forward, we're going to use the youth that are here to be actually in the decision-making and make an impact. So that's ongoing, and I'm sure a lot of the youth will be there. But thank you very much for bringing us, telling us that, you know, there is a massive not maybe massive, but there is a potential for job creation in the battery in Africa, and that's really an exciting— when we'll talk about the implementation, we'll talk about deeply, deeper, if we have time hopefully, into what it means exactly. So now let me go to Tabitha. So affordable and reliable energy remains one of the greatest constraints for industrial development. So since you are on the energy side and you are working on energy, how can renewable energy become a catalyst for youth-led industrial enterprises? And you can also go in the podium. I think it's— but please do not take a lot of time. Thank you.

I was in Cameroon and Gabon recently, and what I observed is a lot of youth graduates working as motorcycle drivers and delivery men, and a lot of young women working as hairdressers. They import hairpieces from China. And some of them work as fashion designers and they try and come up with homegrown fashion products to sell to domestic market, yet they miss out opportunity to export. But one thing that I found common in Cameroon, Gabon, and also Madagascar recently is that the ambition that these youth have, albeit the challenge they have with lack of employment in the country, they look for their own means to create jobs to take advantage of social media to expose the product that they produce is the constant blackout around the countries. And what we found is it's not just about generation, but also it's really about access. So at Gram Energy, we decided to come up with a solution that would drive industrialization across the continent, especially youth-led industrialization. Industrialization. However, we cannot do that as a continent without addressing the key critical infrastructure, which is electricity and access to affordable electricity. So, ladies and gentlemen, Excellencies, I've tried to gather my thoughts today. So we were not looking at the what is the problem, we arrived at how. So what do we need to do? So that's why we're here today. So at GrabEnergy, we believe that the answer lies in shifting our mindset from pure extraction to aggressive regional industrialization and local value addition. This is important because, I mean, it's no news what's happening in South Africa right now. Let's bring it to context. There is always a way of degrading what we do in Africa because if we see we manufacture in Africa, well, somehow assembly is less valuable than manufacturing, I really don't care. Point is, we get the final product done in Africa, so we have to start somewhere. So we're moving beyond importing finished technologies to actively designing and manufacturing solar power components, so the battery components, which fortunately my colleague Deshane and I will be collaborating on, inverters, and also some other mechanical battery that we don't yet have in Africa.. And if we can do this, then we create a highly skilled workforce. And I'm very excited to see that in the audience today and in the panel, the previous session we had Caroline from Ghana, we had Yolanda from Equatorial Guinea, who are looking at solutions from both sides that we as a company, Grandview Energy, need. We need industrial designers, we need people who can transform our ideas, you know, to products that we can prototype for Africa, so design and manufacture, assemble in Africa. Not even Apple's products are manufactured in the United States and they say designed in California, but made in China. Second, we must develop regional value chains at scale. No single country can do it alone. We have lithium in part of DRC, in Zimbabwe, in Namibia, in South Africa, in Nigeria. However, we need to find a way to create hubs to bring together all these components in a regionalized in a manner that can benefit the entire region and benefit the youths in that region. Third, we have to— we as Granville are developing what we call Green Skills Academies. And part of the program we're doing in Gabon right now is to build not just a manufacturing hub or center, but also to create an R&D facility where we will invite universities across the continent to participate in researching challenges we have in Africa to convert them to solutions. So right now, I sit on the curriculum advisory board of Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa, and my role is to bring our industry experience and expertise, our need, you know, back to the institution to help the university design curriculum that will then produce students or graduates that are ready for industry. I've done the same for University of Botswana, and I see that across the continent, there's a big need to have the same kind of program, and fortunately, I see Ghana is doing that now. And obviously, our fourth and last pathway is not the least, and in my view, the most impactful. As Grandville, we can create thousands of jobs, but we cannot employ hundreds of thousands of people. The best way to do that is to support entrepreneurs, what we call green entrepreneurs. If we take the case of Madagascar, there's a need for electrification across the entire country. So electricity access is about 36%. How are we going to reach the remainder of the country? We cannot do that by a single company, and we cannot do that by a single technology. So in our views, is to use entrepreneurs spread across the country, skill them up, train them to be business people, train them to be engineers, and assist them to get involved in large-scale projects. So while we are electrifying the country, we're bringing access to everybody in the country, we're also creating companies who can employ at least 10,000 people within 12 months. It is not impossible, and this model can be replicated across the continent. So ladies and gentlemen, I would like to continue and talk a lot about what we can do, but those are the 4 pathways that Grandview Energy is working on, and I am open to having conversations with other people in the room, you know, to have side conversations on how we can collaborate. For now, I will take my seat and we can continue the conversation. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Tabitha, for this elaborate thing, and I will want to highlight that you are designing and developing solar panels in Africa, which is where the creation of jobs can be for the youth, and you all again mentioned the skills and these green skills, so I see some kind of conversions even from the previous previous session. So now we go to the implementation. You've pitched your solutions, so now let's go to the implementation. We don't have a lot of time, so I will merge two questions in one. So if we wanted to create— okay, I'll say 1 million new jobs, but yeah, let's say a lot of new jobs linked to green minerals and green industrialization— where would those jobs come from? Is it from manufacturing, as everyone mentioned? Is it mineral processing? Is it battery assembly? Is it renewable energy? I will add the second question that you can answer at the same time. What is the biggest implementation challenge or bottleneck, and how can it be removed? I put a framework within 12 months, but it's just to have that in mind. We propose what is it, but what is the bottleneck? Is it finance? Is it infrastructure? Skills keeps coming back. Is it Is it policy coherence? Is it technology? Is it regional coordination? I mean, we didn't talk about it in this session, but a lot. So please, when you answer, I'll start with you, Shaima. If you answer what is the solution and then bottleneck as well at the same time.

The solution is across all what you mentioned. It is in manufacturing, it is in renewable, it is in processing, it is in the servicification of manufacturing, which we didn't talk about, but basically all the services processes that emerge or that are created from the manufacturing value chains. For example, in energy storage, we can think about the repairs, the maintenance, the distribution. All of those create a lot of jobs. So jobs are in these different, um, different components. It's not one. There are obviously potentially one or two opportunities that would yield higher job creation, but we need to look everywhere. For me, the The binding constraint is the demand. For me, the binding— because all of these solutions, and Dishan talked about it, Tabby talked about it, is the volume of— we need volumes to be able to produce competitively and then to create jobs. When we talk about volumes, we need to talk about where the demand is going to justify those volumes and those investment. Then the problem is, for us as African is should we look into exporting to where the demand exists today, which is obviously mostly in the north, or should we look into our nation demand, even if it's shallow at the national level, then maybe leveraging the AFCFTA and our regional integration to have bigger demand and then building regional value chains to be able to fulfill that demand. For me, the constraint is the demand and how to create the infrastructure and the system around it for us to capitalize on that, to leverage that demand, and then to also build regional production systems.

Thank you very much for highlighting the demand issue. You mentioned in your previous, the two three-wheelers. For batteries, for example, we don't have to think about, because we don't have the critical mass of middle class that would probably have electric vehicles, but maybe the two, three-wheelers, or we can talk about tractors in agriculture. So we have to be context-specific. That's a good thing too, that we have to create the demand, otherwise we'll be again exporting to other jurisdictions. But that's a very good point. So David, I will come to you, same question, what are the potential and then the bottlenecks?

I think the The biggest opportunity lies in solar installation and maintenance. So if you look at the skills that are required to do that, you know, we could train somebody in solar installation and maintenance within 6 months and they can run a business. So, you know, things like mining and all the other things, they are important, but they scale very slowly. So in terms of creating the largest number of jobs within 5 years for youth, you know, you could focus on that, because solar is deployable even at a village level today. It doesn't need people to be trained for a very long time. And the thing that matters is that the, you know, Off-grid power is— would be one of the single biggest enablers, particularly for small-scale miners, which is where the— in mineral processing, which is where the— I think the big focus should be. So artisanal miners without power, they cannot move up the value chain, right? But this is where solar becomes a big enabler. So we're not necessarily choosing between solar critical minerals, but we're saying that that can unlock part of what we capture in these, in these policies. So 5 years is short, but you know, we can do it. The bottleneck is not funding. I don't think it's political will. It's the absence of labor market intelligence. So we cannot plan properly if you don't know the skills that we have and the skills that we need. All right. So already we are flagging in South Africa, Morocco, and all these other places, you know, skills that we think we will need but we do not have— electrochemical engineers and things like that. So it's not that the gap exists because the infrastructure is there. We just need, you know, the relevant skills to be trained. So I think within a 12-month period, and this is where ECA can probably take a lead with the African Union. You just get a commission, some sort of a green jobs labor market exercise, mapping exercise, you know, 10 countries, key mineral and energy sectors, roles projected over the next 5 years, and those become a key input to the curriculum that needs to be developed with industry and academia.

Thank you very much for these very concrete proposals, the solar installation, and that's very concrete. And you may— again, as bottleneck, the skills thing comes again and again. So skills mapping, and what I like the word you said is labor market intelligence. It sounds so good. I mean, it's— that's exactly what we need. Map what is needed, what is available, and then we've talked about this African skills, you know, having— so I think that we see some kind of conversions around that theme. So, yeah, we'll hear from the two others and then I think we'll come up with something very concrete to take forward later on. So, Deshan, from your perspective.

Thanks, Mariet. So, again, I think I'm slightly biased here., around battery manufacturing, but I think it's important to make the point. Um, as I mentioned in my opening statement, battery manufacturing is the anchor that results in demand for the upstream and midstream processing, right? So if you look at Morocco, for example, and I think that's a good case study, there's a Gigafactory, a Chinese Gigafactory, that was announced in Morocco, and as soon as that announcement was made, you saw other investors coming in. The downstream manufacturing facility de-risked the midstream and the upstream investment, and as a consequence, that multiplier effect of investment results in a multiplier effect of jobs. So I do believe that in terms of youth employment, that is crucial. Manufacturing is really the the anchor that results in, in a sort of an exponential increase in job opportunities because it sits downstream of mining where most of our current jobs in Africa are, and those jobs are extractive and low value. So if you look at cell manufacturing, for example, as I mentioned, 1 gigawatt hour of cell manufacturing results in probably around 300 or 400 direct jobs, right? But upstream of that, in terms of the support ecosystem The testing labs, the recycling, the logistics, the battery management software, the maintenance associated with it— there's significant multiplier effects of employment. So this is the workforce pipeline that we talk about, and David mentioned in terms of the labor market intelligence. But also, I'd like to also mention Caroline, who was on the previous panel, and I think she should have been sitting here because she made a very important point around the mobility of that labor and the transferability across the continent. I think that's a point that we should mention in terms of our closing, where we have the ability to migrate labor and across different regions on the continent. In terms of the biggest bottleneck that is fixable within the next 12 months, as we mentioned, one of these things is the qualification and non-recognition recognition across states. For example, a geoscientist, as David and I were talking about, cannot be transferred across the continent. The AFCFTA solved this for goods and services, but not for skills. I think this is something that, as David mentioned as well, ECA can really take the lead in terms of convening a pilot. Again, looking at a small, narrow set, you don't have to get the buy-in of all member states. Start with 4 and get a sort of homologation or alignment there, and then you can then further expand the scope. That, I think, is one of the bottlenecks. Then I'd also like to mention 2 other points before I finish referencing my other panelists. One was around the 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler manufacturing that Chema mentioned. I think what is important here is around regional coordination and the importance importance of policy for local content, right? We talk about aggregating demand, but the truth is that, you know, within the member states, everyone has their own policies and are doing their own things. So you want to try and anchor investment, and we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars here, but you'd make— you make that investment and then all of a sudden the member states and the policy doesn't align with it, right? So it's people are importing from India, China, etc., and the local sort of investment then does not have the demand to continue and to ensure that operation continues to exist for the foreseeable future. The second is around, again, regional coordination. For example, if we talk about battery energy systems, there's a significant demand and shortage of energy security on the continent. We all know this. But if, for example, in South Africa we have local content, and this is something that is being discussed right now, We are increasing tariffs, or we are in discussions to increase tariffs to the WTO-bound so that we can protect domestic industry. But this needs to happen not at a country level, it needs to happen at a regional level. If we can do that, then we can unlock the demand that underpins the investment and then the upstream skills and employment opportunities.

Thank you so much for bringing all this. Of course, we hear you about the battery manufacturing, which is Again, that labor force mobility issue comes up and the skills issue. And yes, we were really— when Caroline was talking at her session this morning, we were saying this is exactly what we discussed, having some kind of skills passport or something of that sort. And you mentioned the policy coherence that needs to happen, not only at national level but at the regional level, and also coordinating coordination among the various ministries as well. So, yeah, so, Tabitha, same question, what are the— and the bottlenecks?

Thanks, Marie. Deshawn and Chema and David covered some of the key points that are pertinent to our conversation, so I'm not going to repeat them, but where I see opportunity. It's not just in the actual manufacturing production of these products and services with green minerals. It is also in one area that nobody has talked about. We don't have any bankers in the room, but we actually need— I know Afreximbank is looking at setting up an energy bank, but we really need proper financial instruments that will be set up to support entrepreneurs. We do not lack demand. Demand is quite high. We do not lack entrepreneurs in the continent who are working in this space for beneficiation. We have enough of them across the continent, but what we lack is the financial institutions supporting these entrepreneurs in value addition across the entire value chain. So there I see an opportunity for funds to be created in Africa that would understand and speak the African language when it comes to entrepreneurship in the green value chain. Challenges that we face obviously comes squarely again to policy. I call it policy harmonization, which Deshawn spoke about. It becomes quite difficult to do business. I'll give an example. In the ECA, in the Central Africa region, the CEMAC region, if you want to import components into Gabon, you're sitting with a 55-58% tax on battery. Whereas if you import into Cameroon, it's 0% import and tax. If you import, you know, through Congo-Brazzaville, it's different. So Gabon is exposed, and because of that, it becomes difficult for any local company who wants to manufacture in Gabon to compete. So those are some of the challenges that we find. And also, it comes back to skills. We find that the skill levels are not the same, the certification is not the same, and it will make sense to have some kind of harmonized skills certification that will be recognized across the continent. And this is where we see institutions like the ECA and AU playing a major role, you know, to bring that harmonization. But also to allow for free movement of people to be able to work wherever the skills are required. And a platform like what Yolanda is working on can become very useful at scale, you know, to drive this process. Other challenges that we face which again nobody has spoken about, is free movement of people in Africa. I have to apply for visas to go to some African countries, and because of that, I limit my movement in countries where I want to make investment. If I cannot go to a country within 24 hours, I do not invest in that country. It doesn't make sense that my wife, who is a German citizen, and my kids can basically take their passports, hop on a flight without any question asked, go to other African countries, but I have to apply for visas and sometimes wait 2 weeks to get visa approval. It doesn't make sense. If we have to transform Africa, if we have to build this industry, we have to create jobs, we really have to look at free movement of people. I know other business people have spoken about this before, but it is quite dire that we cannot move freely on the continent, yet people from other parts of the world can come here freely. I will rest my case on this point. And I'll support what my other panelists have spoken about already. Thank you.

Thank you so much for highlighting this, the financing issue. African Development Bank, Afreximac, others are usually our— they're not here today, but they are usually our partners, so there's room for, especially for entrepreneurs, so we can definitely partner on that. You mentioned harmonization of skills, the skills issue, comes up. And of course, the free movement of people, that's a tough, a very, you know, it's an issue that is also at the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, etc., etc. So now, in the 10 minutes that we have, I want to have like an action commitment session, meaning that, you know, we have to come up with something that we can implement in the next 12 months, right? And we have alluded to it, and the skills thing comes up. It came up in the first session, in the previous session, it comes up here. And when we were discussing earlier amongst us, we talked about having a skills innovation and green minerals accelerator in Africa. We called it Sigma². So I'm trying to see now, how do you think this can be done, this kind of accelerator, skills accelerator? You mentioned to have some kind of mapping of skills, what is needed, etc., but let's be practical because I think the forum, Adif, is about being practical. What does it mean if we were to have that kind of accelerator, SIGMA? What would it mean from each of your perspectives? Also, if you don't mind, because I don't think we will have time, if you can say who should be leading it and who should be anchoring it and what should be be the partner, the stakeholders for that in a concrete way? Thank you. Start with the same order.

So I'm going to stay consistent with my binding constraint about the demand, and obviously, SIGMA includes industrial development. I would say the one initiative that needs to happen is a Pan-African, whether at the AFCFTA or the AU level, but a coordinating body that looks into potential regional value chains synergies and then coordinate across the finance funding institutions, the skills, all type of different institutions to make that, and especially with the private sector to make that happen. I want to emphasize here, coordination is a galvanized word, has been used a lot in sometimes not in very strategic way. It is one of the most strategic functions. And actually, the difference between developed countries and not developed countries is the capacity to coordinate their productive capabilities, their skills, their funding, their finance, their policy to make things happen. So coordination is a strategic function, and we need to elevate it again to that level.

Thank you so much.

Again, David, I'm still with the Sigma, Oh yeah, yeah, I know. I think we've already spoken about the Pan-African Skills Passport. That needs to be implemented because that will, you know, unlock a whole lot of value for us. So ECA, you've convened this. I think you should take ownership of it. The AU gives you the mandate. We have a framework as far as the free trade agreement. There's no reason why why we can't do it, so we should just do it.

Edishan? Thanks, Mariet. So I think we have discussed this, so I'm going to outline it and then say it explicitly. So if we look at SIGMA as the umbrella body, the way that we have discussed it and thought about it is you have this Pan-African Skills Passport, and the importance of that is twofold. One thing we haven't mentioned is it around the influence of AI and new ways of learning. When we talk about TVETs and universities, these are antiquated institutions these days. You can go and learn anything you want on YouTube in a matter of a few days, and you can generate new knowledge that way, as well as AI. I think this is one of the things that the Pan-African Skills Passport needs to accommodate, where we have these certifications that that go across borders, and it's sort of a universal type of qualification or certification that enables Africans to work in different regions. So that's the Pan-African Skills Passport. The other one is what we're talking about in terms of the Green Fund or the Green Skills Fund, which we believe that DFIs as well as other donors and private sector should participate in. And as David mentioned, this should be, I believe, mandated or convened via ECA with other stakeholders on board. So you have a proper private sector governance organization where you have DFIs, policy influences, as well as private sector in the advisory board so that we can actually make tangible steps going forward. I believe that this is something— in just the establishment of that body is something that we can achieve in the short term. And again, starting with a pilot with using a few member states and not the entire continent. So I believe that is— sigma squared could close this gap, and it is a 12-month problem, not a 10-year one.

Thank you. Tabi? Well, based on experience, I have very little confidence that we can count on African governments to come together and coordinate and implement something like this, with all due respect. We have the Africa Minerals Strategy. We're still waiting for some of these countries to ratify. I don't know if we've got more than 4 of them to ratify, and this is in the best interest of the same countries. So in my view, while I believe the ECA should be the champion and the host behind this initiative, implementing some of the points that you've raised, I believe that it should be driven by private sector. Private sector, we are very impatient. We are close to the reality. We know the pain point of the people, and we can have a Pan-African-wide private sector initiative that would then force the different governments to come to the party. Most of the time, the policy framework that they develop are completely misaligned with the reality, so I think this should be driven in partnership with the private sector. Thank you.

I like that. Maybe can I add to that? When I said coordinating body, I didn't mean government. I meant actually what works really well is an honest broker between government and private sector, and I think that role needs to be amplified.

Well, thank you so much for this. I mean, we wanted concrete, so I think I think we have concrete. Let me again say what is Sigma². This sounds like so mathematical. Skills innovation and— see, I forgot even— no, skills innovation and green minerals accelerator in Africa. AA accelerator, AA Africa. I do agree, but we cannot work without government because they are the ones who are the— But we can say that they're not— you mentioned the African Union and the fact that they have to ratify, et cetera. So we don't have to go that path. But we have to have them on board. And somebody was saying 2, 3 of them, Deshan, I think, to pilot. And then we can bring all— we don't have to bring all the 54, 55 countries. But I like that the structure is already being developed. It's about skills. And skills, I think, is something— Even more than— sometimes minerals can be a bit geopolitically very sensitive, but skills is not. So we can have the skills as an anchor and then, you know, map. But of course, as we said, and there is an implementation clock. Where is Veronica? She keeps telling me that they'll come back to us and say, where are you with this? So this is where we— this is where the seed starts, but then we can't just talk about it and then leave it at there. ECA as a broker, I like that, as an honest broker, and then with a private sector, with government, with academia, because the skills— and it doesn't have to be— it has to be universities, but maybe TVET as well, the vocational training, all of the issues that were— the previous session was a very good segue to this one. And then talk about this passport, the skills passport,, but if you can have one skill in one country, if you can pass it on, but that's a bit more complex issue, that is. But thank you so much. I'm really excited about this. I mean, of course, the challenge is in the detail, like we say, and then how we take this forward, but we planted the seed here, and then we hopefully we can converge another time and see where we are. And we have to bring in also the financial institutions that as you mentioned, and see completely where that could lead us. So we are 2 minutes ahead of time, so I'm very happy to close the session. Thank you very much to my excellent panelists, Sheyma, David, Deshawn, and Tabitha B. And, yeah, hopefully we'll see you again with concrete implementation.

Thank you. All right. Thank you very much, Ms. Kitao, and our esteemed panelists. I think this is the first panel that finished without the negative. So please give them another round of applause. All right, distinguished participants, we will now take a short health and coffee break downstairs. We encourage you to also visit the knowledge fair, which is located in the same area. We will be reconvening at 11:30 Japanese time Please learn from this panel and don't come in negative. So we look forward to having you back at 11:30. Thank you so much. Please give yourselves a round of applause.

Africa has no shortage of research, No shortage of policies, no shortage of promises. But too often, impact stays out of reach, and this is the implementation gap. Where evidence is delayed, and ideas fade before they are actioned and scaled up. It's time to build a bridge, a bridge from policy to practice, from dialogue to delivery. Introducing the Africa Development Impact Forum 2023. 2026. Not just another forum, a fundamental break from business as usual. For months, ECA and partners have been building momentum through the pre-forum Stocktake webinar series, convening experts on green minerals, AI and jobs, youth entrepreneurship and regional value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area. These sessions are shaping real solutions for youth employment across Africa. One mission across three stages, where ideas compete before the forum, solutions will be discussed during the forum, and impact is tracked for scale-up. At the Africa Development Impact Forum, the Knowledge Fair tells the story of the journey from ideas to action and to impact. Africa needs 15 million jobs every year. Not pilots, not papers. Proven and scalable solutions. During the Africa Development Impact Forum 2026, policymakers, the private sector, youth, and researchers gather to discuss durable solutions. We invite you all to the Knowledge College Fair exhibition area, where you will immerse yourself into a journey of success stories and scalable initiatives that are building a new Africa, the bridge to a brighter future.

Al Fadi, plus qu'un styliste, une vision, un héritage. Entre création élégante et bâtisseur de demain, il façonne le Niger à coups de gueule et de pétanque.

Bienvenue dans le showroom d'Al Fadi. Honoré, trop fier de vous avoir avec nous aujourd'hui. Dans quelques jours, on va commencer, on commence déjà la première étape de la caravane Al Fadi pour la paix où nous parlons que de paix, que de créativité, d'éducation, d'image et montrer que notre pays aussi est un pays extraordinaire et magique. Nous travaillons main dans la main avec le FNUHAP, le Fonds des Nations Unies pour la Population et pour la population et par la population.

Merci de m'avoir donné l'opportunité de parler du partenariat qu'on a avec la Fondation Alpha Di. J'aimerais d'abord rappeler que ce partenariat rentre en fait donc dans la continuité de l'initiative Elimine, qui est une initiative portée par le gouvernement du Niger avec avec l'appui du Fonds des Nations Unies pour la Population, INFPA. L'objectif à travers donc ce partenariat, c'est de former 240 jeunes Nigériens dans le métier du stylisme, modélisme. Donc nous sommes actuellement à 150 qui sont inscrits au niveau de l'École supérieure de la mode et des arts, donc qui est sous la tutelle de la Fondation Alpha Di. Ce que nous aimerions C'est qu'à travers cette école, qu'il y ait un pôle de stylistes nigériens qui vont contribuer à l'industrie artistique et stylistique. À travers donc la Fondation Alpha Di, nous pensons qu'il y aura une industrie artistique et stylistique qui sera créée et qui va pourvoir aussi du travail.

Depuis 1998, Alpha Dee unit les peuples par la mode, la musique, la culture, à travers le FIMA, et élève l'Afrique et inspire des générations. Et Alpha Dee revient au Niger bâtir une école pour sauver la jeune fille, pour renforcer l'éducation de la jeune fille à travers son école.

Est-ce ma— je suis fier de dire aujourd'hui que la jeunesse avec leur éducation, avec leur esprit, avec la caravane qui a commencé aujourd'hui au Niger, va aller très loin. Nous sommes en train de faire la première école supérieure de la mode et des arts. Cette école, depuis 10 ans on se bat, depuis 10 ans on a le— l'État nous a donné un terrain de 3000 m² déjà pour commencer. Mais on a, on avait un immeuble magnifique, Alpha D, dans lequel nous avons accueilli, grâce à au Funiap aujourd'hui 150 jeunes. Les jeunes, ça veut dire vraiment les jeunes filles défavorisées que nous voulons aider, les jeunes filles qui n'ont pas les moyens d'aller à l'école, les jeunes filles qui n'ont pas les moyens d'avoir une opportunité de grandir. Mais nous, avec Alpha Dee, nous, avec l'image de mon équipe, on va leur donner cette chance d'être des grandes demain, d'être l'entrepreneur culturel. Chacun doit absolument l'humain dans 3 ans créer son entreprise, avoir 3 machines, 4 machines, créer ce qu'il appelle réellement sa dignité personnelle. Et c'est ce qu'Alpha Di veut leur donner. Et c'est pour ça que l'école est une chance, l'éducation est une chance, et nous voulons être accompagnés par tout le monde. Le FUNDIAP nous accompagne, les Nations Unies nous accompagnent, l'UNESCO m'accompagne, l'État nigérien m'a donné il y a 10 ans un terrain Nous voulons que chaque jour qu'ils pensent à ce que nous sommes en train de préparer par rapport à l'école, par rapport à l'éducation, par rapport à ce qui va rester demain, notre jeunesse, notre âme. Et c'est ça que je cherche absolument à faire comprendre au reste du monde, de nous accompagner, de nous aider pour que notre grande école de 3000 m² soit enfin finie. Parce que depuis 10 ans, on cherche à le construire, on a commencé déjà la construction a commencé, mais on n'a pas pu finir parce que les moyens nous manquent. D'où l'intérêt d'être là aujourd'hui, montrer le travail des jeunes talents, montrer le travail d'Alpha D qui depuis 30 ans n'a pas fait un défilé à Niamey. Nous allons faire un défilé ici pour montrer le travail dans le textile nigérien, africain, la maroquinerie, la bijouterie, ce que l'Afrique sait faire de mieux, son savoir-faire. Ce que l'Afrique a de mieux, c'est sa jeunesse. Ce que le Niger a de mieux, c'est sa bonté et sa beauté.

L'UNFPA, Fondation des Nations Unies pour la Population, joue un rôle crucial dans l'autonomisation des femmes et des filles à travers plusieurs interventions stratégiques. 1. Appui au programme Eliminé depuis 2013. Ce programme est une initiative gouvernementale soutenue par l'UNFPA Il cible les adolescents de 10 à 19 ans, déscolarisés ou jamais scolarisés, mariés ou non, et a pour but l'amélioration des connaissances des filles sur la santé reproductive, les droits humains, l'égalité de genre, l'alphabétisation, la formation professionnelle. Plus de 1000 filles ont été formées à des métiers comme menuiserie bois, électricité bâtiment, mécanique moto, restauration, pâtisserie, couture, Tallage et Manucure. Les partenaires clés de cette initiative dont la Direction de l'Autonomisation des Filles, Ministère des Affaires Sociales, le Centre de Formation Professionnelle en Styliste et Modélisme, l'ONG Gata Matassa, l'ONG Friki et le Foyer Féminin Marathoun.

Ladies and gentlemen, can we begin to have our seats so we can start? If you have a friend, if you have a colleague that is not yet in the room, can you kindly give them a call and ask them to please make their way back so we can commence? Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, may I kindly invite you to take your seats so we can begin the forum. Thank you. If you have friends, colleagues that are not yet back, you can please give give them a call African style and let them know to come back in. Madame et Monsieur, je vous invite—

gentlemen, I request you to take your seats so that we can start our deliberations. Thank you.

Distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. I hope you had a refreshing break. I was told during the break that not only are the Japanese strict on time, But the Koreans are also strict on time. So we shall be aiming and aspiring for both Japanese and Korean time combined moving forward. We? We. All in agreement, say "Aye." Aye. So we shoot for the sun and we get the stars or something eventually. Okay. Without further ado, we now move on to thematic session F, which will explore Africa's industries of the future with a focus on transformative and labor-intensive sectors. This session will be moderated by Professor Amadou Alimbaie, Nonresident Senior Fellow in Global Economy and Development at the Africa Growth Initiative of the Brookings Institute— Institution. Joining him on this panel are Mr. Andrew Aliu, Regional Economist, Regional Office for Africa, International Labour Organization. Professor Banji Oyelaran Oyeyinka, visiting professor at the Open University and former Senior Special Advisor on Industrialization to the President of the African Development Bank. Ms. Angie Madara, founder of Athena Fund X, will be joining online. Ms. Laura Paez Heredia, Chief of the Regional Integration and Economic Diversification of the Regional Integration and Trade Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, will also be on the panel. The session will run for 65 minutes, and Professor Mbaye, you can use less time if you choose. Now, Professor Mbaye, you have the floor.

Okay. Thank you very much. First of all, let me start by congratulating the Adif team for the design of such a wonderful and timely initiative for the continent's industrialization. And also, by the same token, let me express my thanks to the team for involving me in this very interesting conversation. Let me move forward by saying that this event is not starting from scratch. It is actually a follow-up event. On May 12th of this year, we held a webinar which was intended to diagnose the situation, the state of the African economies in terms of private sector landscape, private sector development, jobs, and industries of the future. And in that thematic event, we have explored many very timely and important issues. We gathered experts from different backgrounds, from the academia, from governments, from international organizations, to look at what industries of the future would look like. And on that occasion, we undertook a very in-depth discussion about what would be a comprehensive typology of industries of the future, what are the obstacles to building these industries, obstacles in terms of institutional settings, obstacles in terms of infrastructure, services availability, obstacles in terms of policymaking, and obstacles in terms of regional integration. And taking stock of that, we tried to map out what policies needed to be undertaken to lift these obstacles. And again, the impediments to African growth and job creation were put in some very clear categories involving infrastructure, involving institutions, and involving policies. So now, in this panel, we would like to take stock of the discussions we had in those— in that webinar I just mentioned to move forward in terms of designing strategies to bring about the necessary changes to put in place these industries of the future. And we would like to refine the analysis of the industries which we already identified and look at the obstacles to growth and industry upgrading— industrial upgrading to move forward and design the strategy to bring about the changes we have discussed. And to achieve that goal, We have a very, very rich panel of four leading experts in the area of economic development, competitiveness analysis, and industrial upgrading. I will start from Prof. Bani Oyela-Ran. Oyeyinka. I'm sorry, I misspelled your name. It's a long name. Okay, so what is the shortest way to do it? Banji? Okay, I'll just stick with Banji. So Banji is an industrialization and technology policy expert. He's a former Senior Special Advisor on Industrialization to the President of the African Development Bank. And now he is academics at Open University at the UK. And then we have as another panelist Mrs. Laura Paez Heredia. Did I spell correctly your name? Okay, and the shortest way is Paez or Heredia? Laura. All right, another one, Laura. Okay, Laura is the Chief Regional Integration and Economic Diversification Section at the Regional Integration and Trade Division here at UNECA. And then we have Mr. Andrew Aliou. Did I pronounce it correctly? Good. Aliou is a Senegalese name and a Gambian name alike, so I have no particular challenge spelling it. Andrew Aliou is a Regional Economic Advisor at the International Labour Organization. Then we have Mrs. Engi Madara, who is joining us online. Mrs. Madara is the founder of Ate Nak Fonds. These are the 4 distinguished panelists we have to help us move forward in the design of an effective strategy to roll out what we have already discussed in the previous webinar. And I start with Mr. Banji Oyelaryan Oyeyinka. Good progress, right? Okay, Banji, when we talk about industries of the future, we cannot elude the question of regional integration. You cannot go around the question of building very strong cross-boundary— I mean, cross-national boundary organizations. You cannot go around the issue of building a very strong ecosystem at the continental level. So what's your take about that? How can regional integration be a leverage to build a very strong— Yeah, yeah, I just reformulated it. It's the same, but I just reformulated it. To build a very strong ecosystem of enterprises.