Johannesburg – Africa faces many challenges, amongst them, the provision of education in a 21st century where technology is advancing rapidly, demanding that people change mindsets, develop new skills, and participate in teams focused on delivering complex projects.
The time has arrived for a new look at education in Africa and deeper and more meaningful collaboration between educational institutions and business in the “age of change” to upskill youth.
As Africa gets increasingly swept into the tsunami of global digital transformation, it is facing a reality in which technology is accelerating faster than organisations and people. Traditional work patterns are falling away, and an economy driven by projects is ascending, shocking many people with the accelerated pace of change.
As these changes are taking place, Africa is facing a future in which it is expected that the continent will produce some 30 million graduates a year by 2050. Therefore, education, its delivery, and effectiveness will become focal points. It is appropriate that UN’s 2022 International Day of Education was themed ‘Changing Course, Transforming Education.’
One of the areas that Covid-19 heavily impacted and one that is likely to carry long-term consequences is access to education and the enhancement of skills where the focus is on developing professionals who can deliver complex projects in an increasingly distributed environment. Furthermore, it has also been the dominant force in creating a new work ecosystem in which project management and power skills have become vital.
This has compelled business and society to respond by adopting digital transformation and embracing a project-based approach to their deliverables.
At the forefront of those that must adapt are institutes of higher learning. With African universities facing challenges on the content and delivery of education in a digital world, transforming education will require partnerships with the likes of PMI, a global non-profit membership association, to help meet a future tide of demand for skills and leadership.
The emphasis, as identified by McKinsey and other global authorities, is that 4 out of 5 companies surveyed will look for people who are leaders, critical thinkers and decision-makers, and value continuous learning. These are the skills espoused by PMI and valuable for those preparing themselves for the competitive workplace.
The PMI response has included offering free curricula and resources to universities designed on a ‘faculty by faculty’ basis geared to meeting global accreditation (GAC) standards. The second leg of their academic resources is a research funding project that offers USD50 000 to selected recipients.
Giving a practical slant to their involvement is the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification offered to students to enable them in the project management industry and connect with professionals already active in the sphere.
Projects are already underway with Mount Kenya University in Kenya and the University of Pretoria in South Africa, where PMI global professional volunteers from the US, Mexico, India, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa are mentoring first-year BCom students.
One of the focus areas of PMI Education Foundation and chapter volunteers is to provide skills training and mentoring to colleges and universities. It is at these institutions where there has been sustained demand for courses and degree programmes in project management.
Education, as pointed out by the UN, is a key element required for achieving sustainable development goals. We are proud that our efforts accord with at least three of these goals and that we are part of the vanguard of organisations taking tangible steps to help Africa achieve the greatness and place in global affairs that it truly deserves.
By George Asamani.
Asamani is the Business Development Leader at Project Management Institute (PMI).
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