The Future of Education and Work in Africa (FEWA)

2024 will be the AU’s Africa Education Year. Both EFA and EFSA are supporting the FEWA which plans to hold a major conference in Nairobi in April 2024. There are likely to be a couple of pre-events – one in SA at the end of Feb. Details of FEWA are here:  https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:ac4a1f82-0f7e-4a29-952c-f15622e0aca2 .   We hope our readers will participate in FEWA and help move education into the digital economy.

Meanwhile, given that we need experts to train and up-skill, the office of South Africa’s Presidency has issued a report that shows that SA approved less than half of its visa applications from 2015 to 2021. Notably, SA rejected 52% of critical skills visa applications during this period. The application process, which some applicants have criticised, typically spans approximately 48 weeks, leaving many applicants disappointed after enduring a lengthy wait only to face visa denial. This prolonged and uncertain timeline has raised concerns, especially among businesses and organisations. Amidst SA’s economy enduring significant economic losses caused by frequent power outages leading, its restrictive visa policies have become another pressing issue. These policies have given rise to a slew of economic challenges. Foreign investors are considering relocating their businesses elsewhere due to the stringent visa regulations imposed by the country.