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.”
