AfDB provides US $62 million to support Technical and Vocational Education in Kenya

The Executive Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 approved a US $62-million loan to finance the second phase of Kenya’s Support to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Relevant Skills Development project.

AfDB’s director for human development Sunita Pitamber said Kenya is experiencing a skills gap for technicians and artisans with 80 per cent of the population under the age of 35 years unemployed.

“This project will play an important role in supporting the emerging oil, gas and mining industry, which intends to employ between 42,000 and 98,000 people over the next 10 years,” she said.

One of Kenya’s major challenges is skills mismatch and inadequate training. A reformed technical vocational education and training (TVET) sector can develop relevant skills and significantly improve the employability of the country’s workforce, especially among women and youth.

The funds will target some 33 TVET institutions and focus the areas of engineering and applied sciences and aims to train 3,000 Kenyan youth with the objective of enabling them to acquire employment.

These include four TVET institutions for hearing and visual impaired students. At least 600 TVET tutors will be trained at diploma and degree levels in engineering and applied sciences

“The project will also support the training of 3,000 youths (50% females) in relevant skills to increase their employability. Furthermore, the project will support construction of hostels in some of the target TVET institutions, rural and marginalised regions, where it was reported that the lack of hostels hinder girls access to these institutions,” says Sunita Pitamber.

A key consideration in the design of the project was value for money, and accountability in the education sector. About 6% of Kenya’s GDP is allocated to the education sector, of which an approximated US $1.2 million is disbursed to each TVET institution annually.

The project will support the Accountant General’s Office, the Auditor General and the Public Procurement Oversight Authority to build the capacity of TVET institutions to strengthen their overall Public Financial Management (PFM).

The African Development Bank currently has a portfolio of US $221 million to support higher education, science and technology, TVET, entrepreneurship and skills development in Kenya.