Reflections from the Zambezi

TVET systems in Africa differ from nation to nation. This is due to the different socio-economic conditions of the nations. In addition TVET is delivered at different levels in different type of institutions. These are Technical Vocational Schools, Polytechnics, Enterprises and Apprenticeship Training Centres. This is to enable trainees from various backgrounds to access training suitable to their needs. It has been stated that the socioeconomic environment and the contextual framework in which TVET delivery systems currently operate in Africa is characterized, in general, by: • Uncoordinated, unregulated and fragmented delivery systems TVET provision spread over different ministries e.g. In Zambia the key ministries are: Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training (MSTVT); Ministry of Education (MOE); and Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development (MSYCD). • Low quality In general, the quality of training is low with undue emphasis on theory and certification rather th...

eLearning Africa was launched five years ago in Addis Ababa in 2006. Successive conferences took place in Nairobi (2007), Accra (2008), and Dakar (2009). eLearning Africa 2010, the Fifth International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training, was held in Lusaka, Zambia from 26 to 28 May 2010 under the patronage of the Zambian Minister of Education, the Honorable Ms Dora Siliya. With nearly 350 speakers from approximately 48 countries, 4 plenary sessions, 60 sessions in 10 parallel conference strands, 17 demonstrations and best practice examples, 10 Insaka sessions, 21 pre-conference events and a number of exciting features, eLearning Africa proved to be once again a landmark in pan-African capacity building for ICT-enhanced education and training. eLearning Africa 2010 was actively supported by the Zambia National eLA Committee, which brought together a broad range of public, private and community based groupings in the preparation and organisation of the event. The op...

The 4th eLearning Africa Conference was held in Dakar, Senegal under the Patronage of the Senegalese Republic. The Conference was officially opened by the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade. A total of 1315 participants from 85 countries, including ministers, officials, academics and business people from all over Africa and beyond, gathered in Dakar for the conference under the President's patronage to exchange ideas about expanding educational technologies in their communities. The Zambian delegation was led by then Minister of Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Hon. Gabriel Namulambe, who also presented a paper at a plenary session on 29th May. Participants were drawn from government ministries (Education; Science, Technology and Vocational Training; and Communications and Transport; ZESCO and eLearning Zambia The programme had 60 parallel sessions, 4 plenary sessions, 20 best practice demonstrations, 19 pre-conference events, 336 speakers and chairpersons from approx...

Entrepreneurship training is relevant in a market-driven economy for a number of reasons. Some of these are: (a) It develops creativity and innovation that are required for one to take advantage of the business opportunities offered in a market-driven economy; (b) It exposes students to successful role models and highlights the challenges they have faced and how they have overcome; (c) It provides students with knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to create wealth and jobs in a market-driven economy; (d) It provides students with confidence to become entrepreneurs in a challenging market environment. Recommendations for Improving Entrepreneurship Training in Zambia In order to strengthen entrepreneurship training in Zambia and other African countries there is need to vocationalise general education, set up business incubators in communities, include aspects of psychology of would be and actual entrepreneurs in entrepreneurship training and document best practices in entrepr...

In the pre-independence days in Zambia, there were a very small number of businessmen who could be called entrepreneurs. By the time of independence, Zambia did not have businessmen and women who were experienced in handling complex businesses. African businesses only started to grow when a cash economy became the standard for business transactions. Zambia gained its independence with a less than well-developed African bourgeoisie, ill-equipped to administer the economy (Chipungu, 1992:174-175). Entrepreneurship in Zambia has arisen due to a number of factors. Some have started enterprises due to retrenchments as a consequence of privatisation of parastatal firms between 1992 and 1999 (Konayuma, 2006: 29). Others have become entrepreneurs to supplement their incomes in order to meet family budget needs. A number of government ministries have policies that support entrepreneurship development. These include the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Policy, the Yo...

This article discusses the inter-relatedness of entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity and change. This is done by first defining each of these terms and examining how inter-related they are. DEFINITIONS Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is defined as the process whereby an individual or a group of individuals uses organised efforts and means to pursue opportunities to create value and growth by fulfilling wants and needs through innovation and uniqueness, no matter what resources are currently controlled (Robbins and Coulter, 2004:43). Innovation Innovation involves finding new and better ways of doing things that are commercialised (Rwigema and Venter, 2004:113). This is similar to Zimmerer and Scarborough (2005:35) who define innovation as the ability to apply creative solutions to problems and opportunities to enrich people’s lives. Drucker (2002:96) defines it as the effort to create purposeful focussed change in an enterprise’s social or economic potential. Creativity Creati...

The 2010 Sola 5 Conference was held in Harare, Zimbabwe. Each year the conference aims to take place in a different country and province. Last year the Conference was held in Johannesburg in South Africa. This year the Conference met in Harare under the auspices of the Harare Reformed Baptist Church and its pastor Joseph Soko, greatly assisted by Jeff Gage and the Free Grace Baptist Church in Boksburg, South Africa. Many of the people are unemployed and struggle to make ends meet, yet despite these challenges, this church had invited us all to meet with them. Zimbabwe, which means house of stones (the remants which are found in Masvingo in Southern Zimbabwe), is a landlocked nation in Southern Africa with a population of about 13 million. Zimbabwe which got independence in 1980, had from about 2003 been experiencing a downward trend in the economy to a point where it had one of the world's highest inflation rates. The price of simple items such as bread was about 1 billion Zimbabw...