Ethiopia: Ethiopia Expands Skills Training to Meet Domestic and Global Job Market Demands - Minister Muferihat

What the report says

Ethiopia is expanding its technical and vocational education system to better prepare workers for domestic and international job markets, Labor and Skills Minister Muferihat Kamil said in Addis Ababa, according to the Ethiopian News Agency report carried by AllAfrica. She made the remarks at a graduation ceremony at the FDRE Technical and Vocational Training Institute (TVTI) on 9 August 2026.

Muferihat said the sector is important to Ethiopia’s broader development agenda and noted that recent reforms have strengthened research, education, technology transfer and the growth of skill parks. She said the government is also developing additional training infrastructure to help produce graduates who can compete abroad. In her address to graduates, she encouraged them to look beyond job seeking and instead focus on creating employment opportunities.

TVTI Director General Biruk Kedir said the institute graduated 1,898 students in different professional fields. He said the school has added regular and short-term programs to improve the quality and relevance of training, and is pursuing partnerships with international institutions. The institute is also working with private-sector partners, including in fashion and other areas.

The ceremony also included comments from graduates who said the training combined practical and theoretical learning. One graduate from South Sudan thanked the Ethiopian government for a scholarship and said her experience in Ethiopia extended beyond academics. The report suggests Ethiopia is trying to align vocational training more closely with labor market needs at home and abroad.