Bridging the Gap: Transforming the Landscape of Land Governance Graduates in Botswana

November 27, 2023

In a concerted effort to address the challenges faced by young graduates entering the workforce in the field of land governance in Botswana, the GIZ-African Union Programme and the NELGA Southern Africa network recently organized a “Multistakeholder Dialogue on the Labour Market for Graduates in the Field of Land Governance in Botswana.” The workshop, held on November 8-9, 2023, in Gaborone, brought together over 60 participants from various sectors, including government, private industry, civil society, and academia.

The workshop revealed a significant gap between academic training and industry needs, leading participants to emphasize the necessity of enhancing practical and soft skills through curriculum development. With an excess of graduates relative to job market capacity, a proposed solution involves integrating entrepreneurship skills to align graduates with market demands. Stakeholders stressed collaboration with the industry to enhance exposure opportunities, recommending various approaches.

Concerns were raised about professionals’ reluctance to share skills, prompting a call for tools to facilitate knowledge transfer. Ethical concerns regarding the competencies of some university lecturers were discussed, indicating a need for stricter recruitment standards. The importance of balancing academic qualifications with continuous professional development was emphasized, an aspect often overlooked by graduates. Attitudinal issues were addressed, emphasizing the need for a serious approach to professional futures, respect for work and supervisors, and an active pursuit of growth opportunities.

The workshop concluded with a consensus among stakeholders to implement recommendations within their respective institutions. The NELGA Secretariat committed to elevating these dialogues to the AU level through the CLPA 2023, aiming to garner the attention of policymakers in member countries. The collective effort to bridge the gap between academia and industry is a pivotal step toward creating a more robust and responsive land governance system in Botswana.

Labour Market Integration, NELGA

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.