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Closing the capacity gaps through young graduates in land governance

November 23, 2023

While there are many graduates finishing their academic programmes in the land sector, not all of them find entry level relevant positions. At the same time stakeholders in the public & private sector, as well as civil society and academia face issues in finding young professionals with the required skill set.

To bring attention to this issue and enable discussions on possible solution NELGA and the GIZ-AU programme “Strengthening Advisory Capacities on Land Governance in Africa” (SLGA) organized multistakeholder dialogues in Botswana and Senegal. The national and regional stakeholders discussed the issues at hand in the respective countries and worked on concrete actions that can be implemented within their own field.

Assessments of the situation in these two countries have been conducted to form the basis for the discussion. These assessments gave an overview of the situation of needed experts both in terms of numbers and qualifications, as well as the education and training opportunities offered by universities. The report can be accessed below.

During the multistakeholder dialogues challenges were identified and recommendations for the different stakeholder groups were formed. Despite societal, economic, historic, and geographical differences between the countries some areas of actions are similar.

  • To reduce and close the gap between required skills by employers and the acquired knowledge and skills of universities graduates, stronger cooperation between these actors is required.
  • Universities need to regularly review curricula with the involvement of employer organizations from the public and private sector, while at the same time opportunities to gain practical experience should be enabled and fostered.
  • The government plays a key role in creating an enabling environment for all stakeholders from universities, local authorities, and the private sector.

For more detailed information on the recommendations and to read the full report of the assessments and the multistakeholder dialogue in Senegal, click here.