Skillsmatch upscales Digital Transformation of East African Industries
Arusha, Tanzania, 9th November 2021: The East African Community (EAC), through its project ‘’Digital Skills for an Innovative East African Industry’’ (dSkills@EA), has launched an online matchmaking platform for skills. Skillsmatch links young professionals with businesses for jobs, internships and applied master theses and aims to bridge the skills gap, especially regarding digital skills for the application and development of digital products and services that are needed in the region’s industry. Skillsmatch is an easy-to-use online platform for providing businesses and young professionals with relevant matches to their needs, supported by Artificial Intelligence.
The launch took place at the YouLead Summit 2021 in Arusha, Tanzania, following the presidential addresses by H.E Paul Kagame, the President of the Republic of Rwanda and H.E Jakaya Kikwete, the former President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
The EAC Secretary General, Hon. Dr. Peter Mathuki, and the Ambassador of Germany to Tanzania, H.E. Regine Heß unveiled the platform to the public.
“Our goal is to help the youth in the EAC become better skilled to lead transformational change in the business environment under the current trend of digitalization. Together, we have an incredible responsibility and opportunity to share our experiences in an authentic way and ensure that our collaborative efforts are shaping the next generation of youth employment and innovation transfer,” said H.E. Regine Heß.
“We are putting more effort to support universities in the region to produce graduates that are relevant for the job market to reduce youth unemployment. We urge companies to use the Skillsmatch platform to spotlight and prompt action around key challenges to digital inclusion by supporting young professionals to gain industry practical experience through internships”, said Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona, the IUCEA Executive Secretary.
John Bosco Kalisa, EABC CEO, noted that, “according to McKinsey’s survey on reskilling, it has been highlighted that nearly 9 in 10 executives and managers say their organizations either face skill gaps already or expect gaps to develop within the next five years. One-third of companies’ workforce across East Africa face disruptions resulting from technology and market trends that require reskilling of professionals; thus, it is relevant that the market has available a pool of talent that can help support businesses for socio-economic growth.”
Notes to Editors
dSkills@EA is a project of the EAC, in cooperation with the German Government, that aims at strengthening employment and innovation-related digital skills of youth in the EAC and supports the industry’s digital transformation. The project is implemented by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the Centre of Excellence for ICT in East Africa (CENIT@EA) at the Nelson Mandela African Institution for Science and Technology (NM-AIST), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and an East African-German academic consortium, including the DAAD and the University of Oldenburg. For any inquiries about the project please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
We invite you to become part of the Skillsmatch community and register using the following link: www.skillsmatch-iucea.org .
For media inquiries contact
Godwin Bonge Muhwezi, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 29th October, 2021: The 2nd East African Community Science, Technology and Innovation Conference is currently underway at the Hotel Club Du Lac Taganyika in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The three-day conference is organized by the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA). The theme of the conference is the Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation in EAC Regional Integration and Socio-Economic Development in the context of COVID-19 Pandemic.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 20th October, 2021: The 2nd East African Community Regional Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Conference is set to be held from 27th to 29th October, 2021 in Bujumbura, Burundi and virtually.
The theme of the event is: “The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation in EAC Regional Integration and Socio-Economic Development in the phase of Covid-19 Pandemic.”
Kampala, Uganda, 28th August, 2021 – Eighteen lecturers from Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutes (RFTIs) in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania have been awarded scholarships to pursue their postgraduate studies at top Universities in China.
The Lecturers were selected from 16 Regional Flagship TVET Institutes (RFTIs) supported by the World Bank, through East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP). The scholarships are part of the Project’s effort to improve the quality of TVET programmes in East Africa.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 20th August, 2021:The 2nd Regional Bioeconomy Conference will be held virtually on 10th and 11th November, 2021 with a small group of in-person participants in Nairobi, Kenya.
The two-day conference is being co-hosted by BioInnovate Africa/International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub, and the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) – Africa Centre.
Nairobi, 30th July, 2021 – Growing disruptions and new developments in higher education have prompted leaders and policy makers in the sector back to the drawing board to discuss the future of higher education in the East African Community (EAC).
Technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and augmented virtual reality coupled with alternative models of higher education, championed by technology firms, has emphasised the need to re-think the traditional model.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 6th June, 2021: The 16th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Sports (SCESTCS) came to a close in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on 4th June, 2021.
The Ministerial Session of the SCESTCS was chaired by Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Education, Prof. George Magoha,
On Education and Training, the Sectoral Council directed that the EAC TVET Harmonization Strategy be finalized by end of June 2021; criteria for administration of EAC Essay Writing Competition be reviewed and that a Regional Forum on Education be held by November 2021 in Rwanda to, among other things, look into the impacts of the COVID 19-Pandemic on the education systems of EAC Partner States.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 2nd June, 2021: The 16th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Sports (SCESTCS) commenced on 31st May. 2021 in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.
The SCESTCS will consider matters on Education and Training, Culture and Sports and those of the East African Kiswahili Commission (EAKC), Inter- University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO).
Kampala, 17th August 2020 – Twenty young lecturers from Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania Regional Flagship TVET Institutes (RFTIs) supported by the World Bank East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP) have been awarded scholarships to upgrade their qualification in Science and Technology to support advancement of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in East Africa.
The scholarships were awarded by the Chinese government, as part of the tripartite partnership between the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the People’s Republic of China through the Ministry of Education, and the World Bank to promote excellence in TVET and facilitate regional integration in East Africa.
East African Science and Technology Commission Headquarters, Kigali, Rwanda, 28th October, 2019: The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) in collaboration with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the East African Business Council (EABC), and the East African Development Bank (EADB) held the 1st EAC Science, Technology and Innovation Conference (STI Conference), and the Academia-Public-Private-Partnership Forum (APPPF) Dialogue Session under the theme: Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) as a Catalyst Towards Achievement of East Africa Community Vision 2050.
