Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare in VICTORIA FALLS
ZIMBABWE needs to align its education and skills development systems with the changing labour market while reforming labour laws to protect workers and support industrialisation, delegates at the Tripartite Negotiating Forum Global Summit in Victoria Falls heard.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the summit, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) chief executive Advocate Christopher Mugaga said high education levels alone were not enough to guarantee economic development if graduates lacked skills relevant to industry.
African countries needed to examine whether their education systems were producing graduates capable of driving innovation, industrialisation and job creation.
The challenge was illustrated by the disconnect between strong university systems and high youth unemployment in some African countries.
“When we celebrate numbers, what kind of employee are we creating, and what exactly are we celebrating?” he asked.
Adv Mugaga said Zimbabwe’s performance in human capital development, innovation and talent competitiveness needed to be viewed within the context of the country’s industrialisation ambitions. He warned that advances in artificial intelligence were changing the skills required in the workplace, making it increasingly important for workers and employers to adapt to technological developments.
Director of Labour Administration, Employment Services and Promotion in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Clemence Zondile Vusani, said Government was already working with workers and employers through the tripartite system to shape labour laws.
He said some aspects of the labour framework needed improvement, particularly the handling of labour disputes and regulations governing strike action.
“We need to streamline that. Many labour unions have been complaining that strike action has become too punitive and effectively criminalised. We need to change that,” Mr Vusani said.
He said improving dispute resolution and grievance-handling mechanisms would help foster greater harmony between employers and employees.
Mr Vusani said decent work rested on four pillars: employment creation, social protection, social dialogue and workers’ rights. These needed to be supported through effective labour-market regulation. Government was conducting workplace inspections jointly with national employment councils and sector representatives to assess compliance with agreed employment standards, including minimum wages.
Mr Vusani raised concerns about workers in the informal sector, saying they should not be excluded from workplace safety and legal protection. “If you are injured, you are not covered by any law. If you break a finger, you simply go home. We cannot continue with such a situation,” he said.
He said workers should take personal responsibility for adapting to technological change through continuous skills development.
“With these advances in technology, you may find yourself out of a job if you do not protect yourself professionally by reskilling and upskilling,” he said.
The discussions came as the TNF Global Summit focused on inclusive growth, decent work, beneficiation and investment promotion, with delegates examining how social dialogue could respond to changing labour-market conditions.
The speakers’ contributions placed skills development, labour law reform, workplace protection and technological adaptation at the centre of efforts to prepare Zimbabwe’s workforce for the future.
