Across Africa, there is no shortage of people willing to work. What is missing, more often than not, is work worth staying in. Electricians, welders, plumbers, mechanics and other skilled tradespeople are in growing demand across the continent, yet country after country is reporting shortages of qualified hands. The irony is that the problem is not simply one of supply.
A large part of the issue is perception. Technical and vocational education training, known as TVET, carries a stigma in many African communities. It is frequently seen as the fallback path for students who could not make it into university, rather than a legitimate and respected route into a skilled profession. That reputation, fair or not, shapes the choices young people make at a critical moment in their lives.
Then there are the working conditions. Beyond a few regulated sectors like construction and manufacturing, most tradespeople across the continent spend their peak earning years without formal contracts, health insurance, or any pension to speak of. A single medical emergency can erase years of savings. Retirement, for many, means dependence rather than rest. When young people weigh their options, these realities matter.
This is where the conversation gets complicated for policymakers. A university degree is still widely seen as the more promising path, not just to an income, but to a career with real room for growth. The catch is that only a fraction of graduates ever land the stable, well-paying roles they were promised. Meanwhile, the trades that could absorb the most young workers are still too precarious to attract them.
Mona Iddrisu, head of youth employment and skills at the African Centre for Economic Transformation in Accra, argues that policymakers need to move beyond simply counting how many new jobs are created. The harder, more necessary question is what kind of jobs those are. That reframe could change everything.
Originally published by African Business.