- The third East African Employability Summit will be held on November 11–12, 2026, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi
- The summit follows a stakeholders' workshop at Daystar University where representatives reaffirmed their commitment to the region's skills and employment agenda
- Dr. Phillip Pande told TUKO.co.ke that graduates lack skills critical for employability in today's job market, a barrier that the summit seeks to tackle
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The third East African Employability Summit and Uongozi Career Awards is scheduled for November 11–12, 2026, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.
Source: UGC
The event will bring together relevant government officials, employers, universities, TVET institutions, development partners and youth organisations to confront the region's persistent skills shortage and advance cross-border labour mobility.
The summit will run under the theme "Skills without Borders: Accelerating Integration through Skills and Labour Mobility in East Africa."
It follows a stakeholders' engagement workshop held at Daystar University's Valley Road Campus on October 21, 2026, where representatives reaffirmed their commitment to the region's skills and employment agenda and provided input that will shape the summit programme.
Dr. Philip Pande, Chairperson of the Convening Committee and Executive Director of the Corporate Career Academy, described the purpose of the summit in clear terms.
"This is intended not merely as a convening, but as a platform through which stakeholders can translate dialogue into policy, policy into partnerships, partnerships into action, and action into greater opportunities for East Africa's people," Dr. Pande said.
Scale of East Africa's skills challenge
Pande told TUKO.co.ke that the summit returns against a backdrop of well-documented employability deficits across the region.
"Regional and continental reports by the Inter-University Council for East Africa and the World Bank found the skills gap to be a major barrier to employability in East Africa and the wider Sub-Saharan Africa. One survey found that one in every two graduates lacked critical competencies, including technical proficiency, communication and workplace confidence. Uganda and Tanzania recorded the highest skills gaps, at 63% and 61% respectively, while Burundi stood at 55%, Rwanda at 52% and Kenya at 51%.
A World Bank report showed that more than 25% of formal firms in Sub-Saharan Africa identified inadequate workforce skills as a major barrier to recruitment. This is the reason and purpose behind the employability summit. The East African Community is also the continent's youngest region, and we need to equip this youthful East African populace with the skills needed in the dynamic job market," Pande said.
What did previous editions achieve?
The inaugural summit in 2023, hosted by the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, drew more than 2,000 delegates, over 100 speakers, more than 50 institutions and TVETs, and participants from 32 countries.
The 2024 edition saw the African Union Commission officially launch the One Million Next Level Initiative in Kenya, making it the third country to reach that milestone.
Outcomes from the first two summits include the launch of the East African Employability Policy Brief, recognition of more than 200 individuals and institutions, over 200 job shadowing placements through Diamond Trust Bank, a LinkedIn partnership that gave more than 1,080 delegates access to digital career tools, and the training and certification of 250 career services directors and coordinators.
The Uongozi Career Awards and Gala, recognising individuals, institutions and initiatives advancing career development and talent across the region, will take place on November 12, 2026, as part of the summit.
Registration and partnership details are available through the Corporate Career Academy at +254 111 445 250 or summit@corporatecareeracademy.com, with further information at employabilitysummit.org.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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