Passing It On
Benefiting from China’s skills transfer
Chinese investments in Africa are now a well-known part of the continent’s economic growth path. But perhaps what does not receive as much attention is the skill transfers that accompany the investments.
In Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and other countries of Africa, the Chinese are bringing in technical staff to train locals in various industries including mining, construction, information communications technology (ICT) and engineering. In addition, Africans are the recipients of unique opportunities as they are accorded scholarships to further their studies, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in China.
In Botswana, Huawei Technologies, through its Seeds for the Future ICT training program, sponsored 10 students from the University of Botswana to undergo training in advanced ICT in China in November 2015.
“It’s an opportunity that [saw] me advancing and honing my ICT skills,” Shantani Mbulawi, a beneficiary of the two-week course, told Chinafrica. He said the program has broadened his understanding of ICT to contribute to his country’s better development.
Professor Frank Youngman, head of adult education at the University of Botswana, said a considerable number of Batswana have studied in China and acquired new qualifications. This has strengthened their position in the labor market and improved their lives.
Construction giant Zhengtai Group, another Chinese company operating in Botswana, holds training classes and skill competitions for its local workforce annually. This has helped to drive and nurture skill transfers.
During his visit to China’s Tsinghua University last year, the World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, Makhtar Diop, said in his talk, titled Lessons for Africa from China’s Growth, that Africa needed a skilled labor force, notably in science and technology, in order to experience growth like China’s.
“Skilled graduates are crucial for Africa to move up the value chain and achieve critical productivity increases,” Diop said. He added that while in China more than 40 percent of all tertiary degrees are awarded in STEM, the number of African university graduates in STEM is about 22 percent.
In 2014, the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), established two years earlier with the support of a $70-million Chinese Government loan, opened its portals to students. MUST offers biomedical studies, chemical engineering, metallurgical engineering and a Master of Science in innovation and entrepreneurship programs.
MUST Chairperson Andrew Daudi told Chinafrica they are offering programs that add value to Malawi’s development by trying to respond to industrial needs. However, there is great concern over the low number of women enrolling at the university.
Amos Kalua, an architect and building services engineer, studied at the Harbin Institute of Technology in northeast China.
“What we need in Malawi is a strict emphasis on science and technology research for sustainable development,” Kalua said. Malawians, he added, should utilize China’s expertise in STEM to facilitate economic growth.
In Zimbabwe, a $5.4-million loan from the Chinese Government funded a high-performance computer center with a supercomputer at the Harare-based University of Zimbabwe last year. The facility was built by China’s Inspur Group, a major computer and server manufacturer.
A supercomputer is a rarity not just in Africa, but worldwide. Since the launch of the center, dozens of Zimbabwean researchers have received operating systems training in Zimbabwe and China.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Home Affairs, Ignatius Chombo, said the new supercomputer facility would address the requirements of the wider scientific community in the country, including in life sciences and mineral exploration.
“The computer center epitomizes Zimbabwe’s understanding [of] the power of ICT in its development trajectory,” Chombo said.
Economic experts say for Africa to learn from China’s economic miracle, more effort should be put into technical and vocational education and training. This would build and develop the skills needed to adopt technology and create the conditions that attract investment in manufacturing. This, in turn, would facilitate adding value to Africa’s vast wealth of natural resources.