Because the academic curriculum in many universities is out of date and largely irrelevant in today‘s industries, more university graduates need to update‘ their knowledge and skills to stand a good chance of employment. Faced with rapidly changing technologies and stiff competition in a difficult job market, more Africans are seeking professional training and certifications to complement their university and college degrees.
Certifications from both local and internationally-recognized professional institutions are acknowledged to increase a person‘s prospects of getting a job (with better-than-average pay) and advance their careers (especially via promotions). The most highly demanded professional certifications are in Information Technology (IT), Engineering, Finance & Accounting, Law and Management training (including project management, supply chain management and several others).
Many of these professions are strictly regulated by local and international private or government-backed organizations. These institutions often require candidates to be trained according to a specific curriculum before writing the certification examinations. As a result, a growing number of accredited training and test centers have entered the market to exploit the huge demand for professional training and certifications.
Business Concept
The business concept here can be very simple: Provide high-quality training in an area of great demand in the country of your operation. It‘s important that you provide a couple of outstanding training packages that become your trademark. You don‘t want to be another Internet shop in Africa that provides IT training; instead strive towards becoming an authority in your field.
You can then charge accordingly for your training sessions and expand your business by employing qualified trainers who are instructed by you, so your trademark training continues to grow in popularity. The great benefit with providing training packages is that you will usually not need much financial capital to invest: your knowledge, skills, and social capital will drive your business.
Niche Ideas
Develop training for mid-level and senior employees of private and public organizations who want to advance their careers.
Dedicated training and certification centers for technical and professional qualifications.
Management training is big in demand all over Africa!
Top Countries & Policy Guidance
We suggest that this is a venture that would work everywhere in Africa, but choosing a country with high entrepreneurial activity in the non-informal sectors can most certainly increase your success rate. If your training targets startup entrepreneurs in particular, choose the countries with the highest adult percentage in this regard. According to a CNN report in 2014, they are: Nigeria and Zambia (both 40%), Malawi (28%), Ghana (26%), Uganda (25%), and Angola (22%).
Other countries with great potential for a training venture include: Botswana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Mozambique, among others.
Action & Tips
The shortage of mid-level to senior management staff is currently a major problem for bigger companies, investors and governments, and hampers Africa‘s growth path. Tapping into this niche would add a wider African development context to your business providing great potential for funding, networking, or sponsorship – you could set up a structure where you directly help in seeking employment positions for the trainees.
This way you would earn an increased revenue receiving commission for the placements, but also create a great benefit for the trainees and a competitive advantage in your business. It‘s a win-win situation.
It would be of value to your business to offer training certification – get in touch with an accredited certification bureau to learn more about adding this to your business.