The Commonwealth Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) has linked the continent’s underdevelopment to low industrial capacity.
The association said the continent was consuming a lot of goods and services manufactured in foreign countries which had little value to Africa’s natural resources.
CAPA’s Secretary General, Olubunmi Owoso, said this at a briefing in Abuja ahead of the organisation’s conference which starts in Abuja today.
The conference has: “Enhancing technical capacity and partnerships for industrial and sustainable economic development in Africa” as its theme.
He said: “The reason why African countries are underdeveloped is because our industrial capacity is slow, we are consuming a lot of goods and services manufactured in foreign countries and we have little value to our natural resources.”
He urged the governments of African countries to invest more in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
“African countries are doing much better than before. They can do a lot much better. We have the issue of under funding in many of our TVET institutions, we have the issue of governance of TVET in many member countries and we have the issue of low perception of TVET in many of our member countries.
“There is a lot government can do to raise TVET to the centre stage, to make it more attractive, to invest more in infrastructure development such that technical skills can improve in our economy,” he added.
CAPA is a Pan-African organization that was established following a resolution of the 7th Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers that was held in Accra, Ghana in March 1977.
The organisation has the mandate to support professional and skills development and to promote policy advocacy in favour of technical and vocational education and training (TVET). - The Nation
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