As the world evolves and industries transform, the role of qualification frameworks becomes increasingly crucial. In the same spirit, the significance of African countries developing their national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) cannot be overstated.
These frameworks represent a pivotal step towards advancing education, fostering regional collaboration, and enhancing the global competitiveness of African nations. Experiences of countries like Kenya, South Africa and others which have embarked on this journey, provide valuable lessons and insights for others in the region.
We have to exchange best practices and address the challenges that lie ahead in our collective pursuit towards achieving transparency of qualifications and mutual trust between qualifications frameworks for lifelong learning in Africa.
We indeed recognise that NQFs are evolving, widening their scope, and engaging with digitalization. Learning in all contexts (including non-formal and informal) matters more than ever, as the transformation of work, technologies and greening of the economy requires faster re- and up-skilling, flexible acquisition of credentials for lifelong learning and work, and transparent qualifications based on quality and trusted provision at all levels of the NQF.
Responsive and effective NQFs contribute to the attainment of SDG-4 (ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all) and 8 (decent work and economic growth), and to the wider objectives of skills revolution, social inclusion, and improved employability for all categories of the population.
We must consider issues such as educational reforms, quality assurance, harmonisation and mutual recognition of qualifications, mobility of learners, response to labour market trends, inclusivity and technological evolutions.
We can create qualifications frameworks that will empower our learners, strengthen our economies, and contribute to the overall well-being of our societies. Together, we can navigate this qualifications journey, align the labor markets through uniform skill acquisition matrices and most importantly adapt to the changing global dynamics for the good of our individual states, regions and the continent at large. It is about time that Africa unified her systems.
This will empower generations to come and ensure that the echoes of our efforts resonate for years to come.
Therefore, implementation of the ACQF is a timely intervention that is aimed at addressing ills that have previously plagued the continent’s education system including skills mismatch; inconsistency of qualifications outcomes and competencies even among institutions offering same-level qualifications across the continent, bottlenecks and dead ends in the education system, absence of a system for alignment and equation of qualifications as well as unclear pathways of progression between qualifications.
Dr. Kande is the acting Director General of the Kenya National Qualifications Authority(KNQA).
