Kenya to host new Continental Centre as AUDA-NEPAD moves to close Africa's human capital gap
Africa's development agency wants a single platform to turn skills, health and institutional reform into productive economic power - and it is starting in Nairobi.
The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) plans to establish a Continental Centre of Excellence for Human Capital and Institutional Development in Kenya, addressing the pressing issue of the gap between the influx of young Africans entering the workforce annually and the limited job opportunities available. This initiative is intended to serve as an engine of delivery, connecting governments, universities, industry, and development partners to help member states move from research to implementation, policy to action, and knowledge to investment.
AUDA-NEPAD CEO Nardos Bekele-Thomas emphasized that the Centre aims to make South-South Cooperation practical, measurable, and scalable, rather than merely confining it to discussions and study visits. Bekele-Thomas stressed that Africa's demographic dividend must be actively built through health, education, skills, technology, and capable institutions, highlighting that simply assuming this demographic dividend will not suffice.
The Centre's establishment is rooted in AUDA-NEPAD's own record of growth in a shorter period, with a portfolio expanding from under $30 million to over $350 million, mobilizing additional $250 million in project financing, and sustaining budget execution rates above 90%. Bekele-Thomas emphasized that stronger institutions are crucial for delivering results, as they produce stronger outcomes.
The initiative aims to align education with market demand, ensure skills link to employment, strengthen health systems, foster innovation, and develop institutions that deliver tangible results. As Africa builds a larger and more integrated market through the African Continental Free Trade Area, AUDA-NEPAD is focusing on strengthening the link between skills, labor-market demand, and productive work.
The CEO stressed that Africa cannot build these systems in isolation and should share existing successful solutions through South-South Cooperation, which includes technology transfer, skills mobility, joint research, institutional partnerships, co-investment, and implementation.
Written by urgent.news from Africa Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
