Challenges
Africa is a continent brimming with hope, where talent is a critical driver for its impending economic resurgence. The key to escaping poverty and promoting employment and entrepreneurship lies in nurturing talents. Vocational and technical education stands as a vital contributor to economic and societal development, with established standards serving as the cornerstone of the vocational education system.
Chad, nestled in the heart of Africa with a population of 16 million—43% of whom depend on animal husbandry for their livelihood and over half living below the poverty threshold—is classified by the UN as one of the world’s 45 least developed countries (LDCs) (as of December 2023). The pandemic has exacerbated Chad’s economic downturn, leading to soaring unemployment rates. Coupled with political and economic volatility, the country’s vocational and technical education is notably underdeveloped, highlighting an urgent need for investment in talent development.
Toward a Solution
Starting from 2022, UNIDO ITPO Beijing has played a pivotal role in facilitating and developing vocational and technical education standards between China and Chad, aiming to bolster Chad’s introduction of vocational education resources from China, thereby modernizing Chad’s vocational education system and fostering its talent development. These initiatives, including curriculum standards development, admission of Chadian students in China, and establishment of overseas campuses by Chinese universities, have made significant progress thus far.
In late 2022, under the guidance of and aided by UNIDO ITPO Beijing, the Ministry of Vocational Training, Jobs and Microfinance in Chad signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Vocational and Technical Education Standards” with the Beijing Foreign Cultural Trade Association. This agreement seeks to leverage Chinese vocational and technical colleges to help Chad establish its national vocational and technical education standards for related industries across 14 categories, 212 programs, and a total of 563 grades. Up to now, 94 Chinese vocational and technical institutions participated in, vocational and technical standards of 92 programs and 117 grades have been mutual recognized.
In 2024, ITPO Beijing, China dispatched experts from the UNIDO Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Alliance Expert Panel on Digital Talent to Chad. The delegation participated in the launch ceremony of the Chadian Digital Talent Training Center and conducted training sessions.
In 2025, ITPO Beijing, China facilitated a donation on 20 notebook computers to Chad Ministry of Education, and a second phase about sending teachers from China to Chad for short time training and setting up a digital education platform for Africa including Chad in the coming future is on schedule.