This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
On September 16, 2019, the Africa Tech Challenge held in Nairobi, Kenya, saw Tanzania and Kenya's technical and vocational education institutions shine, securing manufacturing contracts and scholarships worth over $100,000.
The competition, which brought together contestants from Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Zambia, aimed to promote skills that would enhance value addition and promote locally produced goods.
Kenya's Industry Principal Secretary, Betty Maina, emphasized the importance of developing human capital, stating, "It is crucial to forge partnerships with organisations such as AVIC to channel resources towards developing our human capital."
"It is crucial to forge partnerships with organisations such as AVIC to channel resources towards developing our human capital," she said. Kenya's Meru Technical College and Tanzania's Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology won $50,000 contracts each to produce and export "Made in Africa" parts to China, in partnership with Chinese firm Avic International. Students Apollo Godwin and Christopher Mbembela from Dar es Salaam and Oscar Kimathi Kithinji from Meru were each awarded full scholarships to study in China. The Jin Yetao Scholarship, worth $5,000, was awarded to Kenya Technical Training College, Kabete National Polytechnic, and Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology, supporting 15 outstanding students in Kenya's vocational colleges.
