East African employability summit to focus on skills and labour mobility in Nairobi
Published on 4 November 2026 at 02:32 GMT
By Editorial Team SDG8
The third East African Employability Summit (EAES26) is scheduled for 11–12 November 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya. The event is organised by Corporate Career Academy in collaboration with the East African Business Council, the State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy of the Republic of Kenya and impact partners. It will focus on youth employability and the relationship between education, skills development and work.
Its announced theme concerns skills without borders, regional integration and labour mobility in East Africa. Discussions are expected to cover recognition of qualifications and closer alignment between training and labour-market demand.
The planned gathering brings together government representatives, employers, universities, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, development partners and youth organisations. Its agenda extends beyond recruitment to questions about workforce development and cooperation between education institutions and industry. According to Citizen Digital’s report of 23 October, organisers intend the summit to provide space for dialogue, knowledge exchange and partnerships.
The employment challenge beyond unemployment statistics
An August 2025 analysis published by ILOSTAT estimated that 70.9 million people aged 15–24 in Africa were not in employment, education or training (NEET) in 2025, equivalent to 23.2 per cent of that age group. The estimated rate for sub-Saharan Africa was 21.8 per cent. These are estimates for the continent and subregion respectively, not figures specific to East Africa.
Job quality is a separate concern. The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024 regional brief reported that 72 per cent of employed young adults aged 25–29 in sub-Saharan Africa were in insecure forms of work in 2023. This category included own-account work, contributing family work and temporary paid employment.
The same brief estimated that the youth labour force in sub-Saharan Africa would expand by 72.6 million between 2023 and 2050. This is a projection of labour-force growth, not a count of jobs created or a forecast of unemployment.
The East African Community (EAC), working with the ILO, describes its EAC Manpower Survey as a way to develop comparable regional labour-market information. Its modules cover employers, employees, education and training institutions, the informal sector, unemployment and nationals living abroad.
Education and preparation for work
The ILO’s regional brief distinguishes educational attainment from access to employment. It reports that, in developing economies in sub-Saharan Africa, the benefits of tertiary education are reflected in lower levels of informal and low-paid work, while economies’ capacity to create high-skilled jobs remains limited.
In its 2025 analysis, ILOSTAT calls for wider access to TVET and work-based learning. Apprenticeships and internships are among the forms of learning it discusses, while noting gaps in the availability and comparability of the underlying data.
Career guidance is also part of the organiser’s wider work. Corporate Career Academy lists career assessment and counselling, mentorship, career fairs and institutional capacity building among its services.
Skills and labour mobility across borders
Recognition of professional qualifications across borders is one of the issues identified for the summit. The proposed discussions link skills development with regional labour mobility, alongside entrepreneurship and policy coordination.
Regional data collection forms part of the EAC’s existing employment work. The Community says a regionally agreed survey methodology is intended to support comparisons between Partner States and the development of a regional manpower database.
Partnerships and the Uongozi Career Awards
The announced programme includes opportunities for organisations to present research and programmes through exhibitions and knowledge-sharing activities. Organisers describe these engagements as a means of developing partnerships on skills and employment.
The Uongozi Career Awards will accompany the summit. Corporate Career Academy’s awards page places them within the 11–12 November event and describes recognition for students, learning institution leaders and organisations working on employability, leadership and youth income opportunities.
Regional cooperation on employment
EAES26 is a planned forum for discussing education, skills recognition and employment across East Africa. Whether its discussions lead to new programmes, policy changes or additional employment will depend on subsequent decisions and implementation by participating institutions.
Written by a human author, edited with AI assistance.
Further information:
Corporate Career Academy. Confirms the summit dates and venue and describes the accompanying Uongozi Career Awards.
Citizen Digital. Reports the summit theme, intended participants and planned discussions following the October stakeholder workshop.
ILOSTAT. Provides the 2025 youth NEET estimates and analysis of vocational education and work-based learning.
International Labour Organization. The 2024 sub-Saharan Africa brief documents insecure work, educational outcomes and projected youth labour-force growth.
East African Community. Explains the EAC Manpower Survey modules and regional methodology for comparable labour-market data.
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