The CAPA General Assembly of Heads of Member Institutions in a unanimous resolution on August 29, 2019 in Kigali, Rwanda, embraced the challenge given by the African Union Commissioners for Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST) and approved rebranding into ‘Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (ATUPA)’.
CAPA Executive Board meeting in Nairobi in October 2018 had deliberated over the need to open membership to TVET institutions from non-Commonwealth African countries. Members agreed to relaunch the organisation and rename it in a way that allows it to have a leading role in Africa in policy analysis and advocacy in favour of skills development for wealth creation.
In one of the events of the August 2019 CAPA international conference in Kigali Rwanda, CAPA with great assistance from Rwanda’s Minister of Education, the Honourable Dr. Eugene Mutimura, convened a forum of Ministers of Education on Tuesday 27th August 2019 on the theme “The Future of TVET in Africa”. The Africa Ministers of Education present, CAPA Executive Board and other VIPsin attendancedeliberated on improvement of quality, relevance and access of TVET in Africa, as well as rebranding of CAPA to become a PAN AFRICAN organization. The forum also resolved to support the Associations’ “Industrialize Africa Now” clarion call. The new outfit, ATUPA, will better enhance the relevance and quality of the African TVET systems for the equipping of youth and adults with the skills for self-employment, decent work and entrepreneurship and aligning TVET programmes with the labour market requirements in Africa.
CAPA members see in the new dispensation an opportunity to strengthen the knowledge base of TVET providers in Africa through engagement in R&D with a view to making TVET institutions the centers for technology capability, innovations, accumulation and transfer of knowledge. This would further contribute to the implementation of the AU Continental Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Board believes converting into a continental body would significantly enhance attractiveness and esteem of TVET to the youth demography, and become the pathway of choice for skills development, employability, higher education and economic development in Africa.
CAPA is confident that reengineering the Association would strengthen its impact in: improving quality and relevance of TVET in Africa for an ever-changing world of work; enhancing equitable access to TVET for all; strengthening governance, leadership and management capacities across all levels; and enhancing image building, advocacy and social mobilization for TVET.
The General Assembly directed the Executive Board and the Secretariat to spearhead the transformation to ATUPA and pledged their every support to have this accomplished by the time of their next General Assembly meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe in the month of August 2020.