Briefing: Engineers for Africa: identifying engineering capacity needs in sub-Saharan Africa

Sufficient engineering capacity is essential to the economic and social development of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a basic requirement for the provision of infrastructure and is a key driver for innovation and growth. This paper identifies significant capacity shortfalls in the engineering sector in sub-Saharan Africa, in terms of the size and skills base of the workforce. It explores the key causes of these, which range from poor-quality engineering education to failure by foreign companies to ensure knowledge transfer to the local workforce. The paper outlines the consequences of a shortage of engineering skills for countries in sub-Saharan Africa and provides clear recommendations to the major stakeholders involved in engineering in the region, on how to address the issue.