Chairperson of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) Advisory Council, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has called for a continent-wide skills revolution in science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) to position Africa for innovation-driven growth and long-term prosperity.
She made the call while delivering her welcome address at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2026, held in Accra on Wednesday, February 4.
APD 2026, which runs from February 4 to 6 under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade,” has brought together heads of state, business leaders, innovators, policymakers, and civil society actors to chart pathways for deeper intra-African trade, entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment.
In her address, Dr. Dlamini-Zuma stressed that Africa’s development agenda must be driven by its people, particularly women and young people, through investments in skills, education, and innovation.
“Our collective success will be measured by whether we deliver a skills revolution, particularly in STEM, so that Africans can innovate and drive the continent towards lasting prosperity and peace,” she said.
She underscored the importance of empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and expanding access to quality education and digital tools to unlock the full potential of Africa’s single market and continental free trade ambitions.
Dr. Dlamini-Zuma urged African governments to align skills development with future job markets, promote good governance, and create an enabling environment that supports entrepreneurship, innovation, and enterprise growth.
She also called for Africa to embrace emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), stressing the need for African data and knowledge systems to shape the continent’s digital future rather than reliance on external sources.
On inclusion, Dr. Dlamini-Zuma highlighted the persistent barriers faced by women and youth in trade and enterprise, noting that while women contribute nearly 50 per cent of Africa’s GDP, they remain systematically excluded from finance, markets, and trade networks.
“Youth make up about 60 per cent of Africa’s population, yet unemployment remains structurally high,” she said, urging targeted investment in entrepreneurship and innovation capable of generating up to 50 million jobs by 2030.
Touching on continental integration, she called for simplified trade regimes, improved cross-border mobility, and the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to boost intra-African trade, which currently stands at about 15 per cent, far below Europe’s 60 to 70 per cent.
She cited Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia as examples of countries that have successfully implemented more open border systems without compromising security.
“The measure of success for this dialogue will not be the eloquence of our discussions, but the courage of our implementation,” Dr. Dlamini-Zuma said, urging stakeholders to collaborate, innovate, and empower SMEs while offering African youth meaningful opportunities at home.
By: Bawa Musah
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