A delegation of nine faculty members from various schools at Mount Kenya University (MKU) last week attended an international conference on unemployment of graduates in Africa held in Tunisia.
Led by Access Board Member and Deputy Vice-Chancellor APIA, Dr. Peter G. Kirira and MKU-Access Coordinator, Dr. Henry Yatich, the Kenyan team participated and made several presentations atthe Conference and Summer school in University of Tunis at Hammarmet,Tunisia.
Access 1.0 is a 3.7M Euro German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) promoted project under the Exceed initiative with funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).MKU is a partner in the African Centre for Career Enhancement and Skills Support (Access) project which is funded by DAAD through University of Leipzig, Germany.
The Kenyan faculty successfully disseminated their research findings in the conference that was running from 1st to 5th October 2024 under the theme ‘Graduate unemployment in Africa: Towards a shift in paradigm.’
The conference was officially opened by Prof. Dr. Utz Dornberger, Project Lead, at University of Leipzig Germany.
During the opening ceremony, Prof. Utz announced that DAAD had approved the award for the roll-out of Access 2.0 project that will be funded to a total cost of 4.5 million Euros (Kshs 637 million).
The new five-year project will run from 2025-2029 and will focus on more student-geared interventions to improve graduate employability and industry linkages.
MKU is the project lead in Kenya and has been submitting tailor-made measures to curb unemployment in Africa. The institution also organizes joint annual business idea competitions to be jointly run by 10 local universities: Zetech University, Karatina University, Strathmore University, Kenyatta University, Daystar University, Technical University of Kenya, Kabarak University, Riara University, KCA University, and Machakos University.
The researchers from MKU included Dr. Emily Nyabisi, Dr. Josephine Kirimi, Dr. Jane Kanjuru, Ms. Rose Macharia, Mr. Tobias Ochieng, Ms. Elena Mwai, Mr. Joseph Machira, Mr. Peter Mbogo, Ms. Judy Nguru, Dr. Nancy Cheseto and Mr. Jared Mosoti presented topical findings physically and online on the following topics.
The conference, which brought the Access research program (2020-2024) to a successful closure, focused on the need to revisit economic and other theoretical foundations, in order to update the link between improving the levels of education, particularly university education, of a country’s human resources, and economic growth and development, in African countries.
It also analyzed the problems associated with university training in African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), the inadequacy of course selection, and the quality of higher education, all of which contribute to massive graduate unemployment. The conference also considered how to redefine and contextualize the concept of employability in Africa.
“Exacerbated by the devaluation of diplomas in a context of limited job opportunities, this phenomenon is particularly severe for women graduates. This paradox is reflected in a higher unemployment rate among graduates than among non-graduates, sometimes reaching levels four times higher,” he said.
During the forum, Tunisian business and political leaders shared their perspectives on cooperation between the University of Tunis and its economic, social, cultural and technological environment. Academic networking is encouraged by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the university.
These events are part of the programmes implemented by ACCESS, a consortium of six African universities from Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Tunisia, working with the University of Leipzig, Germany, to study the stagnation of the labor market in Africa despite the increasing level of formal education of the employed and salaried population.
As a first step, the program set up to investigate graduate unemployment in these countries. This doctoral program enabled 15 African students, including three Tunisians, to write or prepare theses in Germany and in English, on the issues addressed by the program.
The aim was to develop specific, in-depth knowledge of graduate unemployment and the localized prospects for employability in their respective countries.
Access is also developing new teaching models to enhance the employability of African students, while increasing their opportunities in the global market, by connecting them to international companies.
The consortium aims to create a practical platform for African higher education institutions (HEIs). It focused on capacity-building for teachers and doctoral students, integrating teaching and research practices adapted to socio-economic realities. Academic networking and cooperation between universities, HEI(s) and companies will also be encouraged.
