Higher education institutions in Southern Africa are taking a digital leap forward. Partner institutions in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have finalised implementation plans under the UNESCO TECH SPARK Africa Project (2025-2027), marking an important step towards the integration of simulation-learning technologies into skills development to support youth empowerment at the tertiary education level.
The UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) convened its second strategic workplan meeting on 28 May 2026 to launch implementation of its TECH SPARK Africa project at the institutional level. In 2025, the project trained educators and institutional staff from partner universities in the use of simulation-learning technologies, laying the foundation for the current implementation stage. Building on the momentum of its first year, this new chapter focuses on integrating simulation-learning technologies into learning and training, emphasis on solidifying curricula and designing contextualized training content to support youth skills development.
As partner institutions unveiled their institutional roadmap, the conversation focused on approaches to address the critical regional challenge: the persistent mismatch between graduate skills and evolving labor market demands. Mr Duren Munsami, founder and CEO of Nudle – TECH SPARK’s technical partner -alongside university representatives, highlighted how addressing this challenge contributes to youth employment and workforce readiness. A powerful consensus emerged: by embedding simulation-based STEM learning into key training sectors, including mining engineering, geology, polymer sciences, pharmacy, radiography, biotechnology, and electrical engineering, universities could build a scalable model for hands-on, practical learning that aligns with local contexts and industry needs.
This meeting also reaffirmed UNESCO’s commitment to quality education through deep inter-regional and international collaboration for youth skills development. To guide this effort, members of the TECH SPARK Africa Technical Advisory Group (TAG), experts from the public and private sectors in higher education, technology, and digitalization, contributed their technical insights to shape the strategic direction of the institutional workplans for long-term project success.
All institutions must maintain strong collaboration with employers to maintain curriculum relevance.
urged Engineer Irene Kaggwa, zeroing in on industry alignment.
Professor Peter Okebukola grounded the digital shift in the African context.
Embedding indigenous knowledge systems and ensuring sustainability would be essential to achieving meaningful contextualization and enduring impact.
noted Professor Peter Okebukola.
To turn these high-level strategies into ground-level action, Professor Wenming Yang, provided practical project management guidance to support the institutional focal persons in fine-tuning their institutional workplans for optimal implementation.
Within this collaborative framework, TAG members and partners further underscored that technology is only as powerful as the educators who wield it. A collective emphasis was placed on continuous teacher training as the key enabler in building a culture of change around digital transformation. Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, expert on higher education, encouraged institutions to view lecturer development not as a one-off activity, but as an ongoing process that supports innovation in teaching, learning, and assessment.
Moving forward, participating institutions will refine their workplans and catalyze the next phase of implementation, focusing on simulation content refinement and inclusion in curricula, continuous educator training, as well as deeper industry engagement. The strategic recommendations provided by the TAG will continue to guide implementation and unlock new opportunities for cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing across participating institutions. Throughout the meeting, participants demonstrated shared optimism that this pilot programme will serve as a scalable model that could be adopted by more universities across the region, and the continent.
As a concluding call to action, Dr. Peter J. Wells, Head of Education at UNESCO ROSA, invited the institutions “to open their doors, and their mindsets to working with the private sector, because they have the technology, and the knowledge that we need to bring in at the institutional level”. His remarks captured the heartbeat of the initiative: efficient and meaningful digital transformation cannot happen in isolation and will depend on sustained ecosystem-wide collaboration between universities, industry leaders, technology partners, and policymakers to prepare African graduates for an inclusive and sustainable future.
Members of the UNESCO TECH SPARK Africa’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) include (by alphabetical order):
- Mr Mark Boris Andrijanič, Vice President at Kumo.AI
- Eng. Irene Kaggwa, Programme Manager at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for Giga
- Ms Verna Lalbeharie, Executive Director of the EdTech Hub
- Prof. Peter A. Okebukola, Emeritus Professor of Science and Computer Education at Lagos State University, Nigeria and Global leader in digital learning and higher education reform
- Ms. Thelma Quaye, Chief Digital Infrastructure, Skills, and Empowerment Officer at Smart Africa
- Prof. Wenming Yang, Professor, and Ex-Coordinator of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Centre at Shenzhen Polytechnic University.
Focal persons from partner institutions are as follows:
- Dr. Tiroyaone Tshukudu, Director, Technology Transfer, Office of Research Development and Innovation, Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST)
- Mrs Rachael Chikoore, Dean, School of Information Science and Technology, Harare Institute of Technology (HIT)
- Mr Maurice Nkusi, Manager, Academic Development and Support, Department of Academic Support and Teaching, Learning and Technology, Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST)
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/sparking-innovation-universities-botswana-namibia-and-zimbabwe-set-redefine-youth-skills-development?hub=701
