From a young age, Leah Francis Basu was captivated by aircraft and the principles of flight, a curiosity that eventually led her to pursue a career in aviation. She enrolled at the National Institute of Transport (NIT) in Tanzania to study Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, benefiting from a scholarship under the World Bank-funded East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP). The scholarship motivated her to excel academically, and today, she works with Precision Air, applying her technical skills to ensure aircraft safety and contribute to Tanzania’s growing aviation sector.
NIT is one of 16 Regional Flagship Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes supported by EASTRIP, which has strengthened curricula, industry partnerships, and institutional capacity. The project has helped NIT achieve accreditation as an Approved Training Organization by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), establishing it as a leading aviation training provider. The 16 flagship institutes across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania target low-, mid-, and high-level technician training in sectors such as agriculture, construction, energy, tourism, manufacturing, and ICT.
Basu’s story reflects a broader context in which millions of young Africans face barriers to employment. Every month, about one million young people enter the job market, yet formal opportunities remain scarce. Nearly 23 percent of youth are not in education, employment, or training, and foundational learning challenges persist, with 86 percent of 10-year-olds unable to read a simple text. Skill gaps affect key sectors including energy, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing, impeding regional development and economic growth.
To address these challenges, the World Bank Group launched the Skills for Jobs Policy Academy Practitioner Program, which convened over 300 senior policymakers and practitioners from 25 Sub-Saharan African countries in Nairobi from September 29 to October 3, 2025. The program combined workshops, industry roundtables, site visits to TVET institutions, and hands-on planning sessions to share evidence, innovations, and practical tools for skills development. Participants emphasized the importance of integrating employers at the center of skills systems to ensure alignment with market demand and workforce readiness.
EASTRIP was highlighted as a successful model for scaling skills development across East Africa, embedding industrial partnerships into more than 500 programs and expanding competency-based training in agriculture, energy, ICT, manufacturing, and tourism. Enrollment capacity has increased tenfold, and graduate employment rates have risen from 47 percent to 79 percent. Industry partners, such as Air Tanzania and Precision Air, have noted marked improvements in the quality and hands-on skills of graduates, addressing critical workforce gaps.
The Academy also emphasized system-level reforms and innovations in skills development, including public-private governance, industry-aligned standards, results-based financing, data-driven approaches, digital technologies, micro-credentials, and global skills partnerships. While reforms take time, quick wins—such as partnerships with firms in priority sectors—can deliver immediate impact and momentum.
From Basu’s individual journey to the thousands of graduates entering the workforce across multiple sectors, the experience demonstrates that coordinated efforts between governments, industry, and training institutions—anchored in equity and results—can make skills training a transformative engine for opportunity and economic growth across Africa.
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