Realizing the significance to empower youth in Africa, UNESCO, in partnership with the People’s Republic of China, initiated the China Funds-in-Trust Project Phase III: Higher Technical Education in Africa for a Technical and Innovative Workforce (CFIT III).
The overall objective of the CFIT III is to enhance the capacity of higher education institutions (HEIs) to respond to the skill needs for national development by facilitating collaboration between higher education institutions and the industry, enhancing labour market-oriented teaching, and strengthening competence-based learning.
The six participating countries are: Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. The CFIT III project implementation was officially launched in October 2021 after the completion of the project formulation and inception phase (March - September 2021). The project had a duration of four years and project activities have been completed by December 2025.
The Project Closing Event aims to bring together CFIT III project key stakeholders, including representatives from higher education institutions, ministries, development partners, private sector actors, and youth, to reflect on the CFIT III project results and achievements, showcase innovative solutions developed by partner institutions, and chart a roadmap for sustaining its outcomes beyond the current project cycle.
The meeting aims to:
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Showcase high-impact solutions developed under CFIT III to advance competency-based higher technical education that addresses skills mismatches and enhances youth employability.
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Facilitate knowledge sharing and peer learning among countries and institutions on successful practices and lessons learned in linking higher education to labour market demands and national sustainable development priorities.
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Celebrate collective achievements and partnerships that have fostered innovation and capacity strengthening in higher education systems across Africa.
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Promote dialogue on future cooperation opportunities in advancing labor market information intelligence, green and digital skills development, competency-based curriculum review, government-university-industry partnership for a skill-based and sustainable economy in Africa.
