Africa is said to be the youngest continent on earth, as 70% of the population is below 30 years old. According to analysts, Africa and the world stand a chance of reaping big rewards from this demographic group if it is educated and skilled. Failure to educate these critical masses of young people may become a bulge that extremists and drug barons will use to create social and political mayhem that will see the world becoming a dangerous place to live in.

More than ever, the African youth long for opportunities to develop their talents and become the drivers of socio-economic development in their countries and beyond. This desire and aspiration are always met with challenges related to the accessibility of quality education and training and a job market that is not growing rapidly enough to utilize their skills.

For many young people in Africa, education and skills are the only keys to success. Only when people are educated and skilled can their potential be fully utilized, while applying reason and thoughts in the right direction and make significant decisions. Throughout history, education and skills have positively impacted human life in all dimensions.

Current welding training programs throughout East Africa are oriented toward ornamental welding, not industrial welding. In East Africa, students spend 85% of their time learning welding theory and doing simple projects like fences, gates, tables, chairs, doors, and window frames. Welding curricula that lead to high skill involve 85% of time spent on skill development and only 15% of time on welding theory. As a result, current welding schools have about one welding machine for every ten students, whereas high skill schools require at least one welding machine per student and other shop equipment that is lacking. Therefore, the introduction of high skill welding will require expansion and modernization of the existing welding schools across East Africa and the rest of the continent.

The American Welding Society (AWS) projects that the US will need 360,000 new welding professionals by 2027. The European Welding Federation (EWF) reports a shortage of around 300,000 qualified welders in Europe. Countries like Germany have a heightened demand for skilled welders in the automotive and manufacturing sectors.

https://weldingvalue.com/2020/11/insights-on-the-global-welder-shortage/#b98aeb5c

According to Australia’s recent employment outlook survey, skilled trades workers (such as electricians and welders), engineers (electrical, civil, and mechanical), and technicians are scarce. Similarly, in a recent report regarding the employment market in the Flanders region of Belgium, the VDAB (Flemish employment office) calls the search for technical personnel “simply problematic.”

https://weldingvalue.com/2020/11/insights-on-the-global-welder-shortage/#b98aeb5c

While most countries in Africa pride themselves on having a high number of critically assessed welders, most of these welders, unfortunately, do not fall within the bracket of competent and knowledgeable welders. Easy evidence of this fact is the continuous influx of expatriate welders despite the supposed high number of welders claimed by different countries.

https://www.majorwavesenergyreport.com/african-welders-are-a-dime-a-dozen-but-quality-welders-are-not/

Current local content practice allows project investors to bring in expats if there is insufficient local labor with the adequate skills. With the current global shortage of welders, this strategy is no longer viable, which raises project risks to unacceptable levels. Local capacity building is the best approach to address this dilemma for investors in large projects and manufacturing facilities. Project owners can no longer look to the contractors to address this dilemma. Early investment in facilities and training is needed to mitigate the labor risks and build goodwill in the host countries.

The availability of natural resources and local skilled labour is a good recipe for attracting foreign investment in a given country. Mega projects are being earmarked for execution within the East African countries due to a heightened focus on industrialization, manufacturing, and the exploration of oil and natural gas. When concerned stakeholders team up to build the required skill set with a local touch, they greatly reduce their operational and cost risks due to a lack of human capital and productivity loss.

Providing new opportunities for African youth is fundamental to expanding and positioning them for current and future progress and growth in the spirit of leaving no one behind. The Welding Summit aims to help young Africans access regional and international labour markets, mobilize diverse financial resources to support the welding training department, build regional and global networks, and increase the youth’s ability to shape their socio-economic development. Moreover, the Summit will act as a regional platform for national and international leaders from the public and private sectors to advocate inclusive policies and strategies required to support employment opportunities within and outside Africa. The Summit will bring together 300 selected participants, including young people in and out of training, educators, entrepreneurs, investors, business influencers, political leaders, economists, journalists, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and donors, to discuss career paths and business opportunities in welding during the three days event. The Summit will be held at Karen, Nairobi from 7th November to 9th November 2024