Great Timing
Luck was on our side – the start of the rainy season coincided with the completion of the warehouse, which would mean a nice dry environment to build the biochar reactor. However, the reactor would be the first of its kind in East Africa, and the requisite skill set to manage this project was not available in Tanzania within our required time lines. This meant DEC would have to look abroad.
Interestingly, the challenges DEC encountered in recruiting domestic talent reflected a broader issue in the Tanzanian economy. More precisely, there was a dearth of STEM-educated professionals in the labour market. Curious to understand why, my findings suggested that this issue stems from the numerous structural changes the education system has undergone post-independence. Additionally, there is a significant downstream impact: a deficit in the culture of industry mentorship, where experienced professionals guide their junior peers.
By recognising the educational and mentorship gaps within Tanzanian’s STEM sector, DEC aimed to not only to just build the reactor with the right expertise, but contribute to the development of Tanzania's professional culture, and help foster a legacy of mentorship and skill development. But first, how has the education system changed over the years?
History Lesson
Pre Colonial: Indigenous education in Tanzania was experiential – students “learned by living and doing”, reflected Julius Nyerere. Education was tribal, location specific, though typically every member of society was responsible for sharing and teaching students everything from societal values to productive work.
Islamic and Christian missionaries began spreading throughout Tanzania in the 19th century. The competing faiths prioritised literacy and cultural values, not to eradicate illiteracy for its own sake but to expand and reinforce their ideological and cultural influence.
Colonial Times: The Germans arrived in the 1880s and implemented vocational education policies for Africans to serve the colony's needs. Despite the generally decentralised system, a few Africans were educated following the German curriculum to support the colony's growing managerial and administrative roles.
Post World War I, the British centralised and expanded the education system. There was a continued focus on agriculture and vocational skills, though it was now funded through internal taxation. However, the era was tarnished by racial segregation, resulting in significant disparities in funding and educational quality among schools for black Africans compared to those for Europeans and Indians.
1960 - 1970s: Tanzania secured independence in December 1961, with Julius Nyerere becoming its first President. A former teacher himself, Nyerere emphasised educational reform and guided by the Arusha Declaration, centralised and nationalised all of educational institutions. Teaching priorities were a direct response to the country's immediate and dire challenges:
• Literacy: 85% of the population was illiterate.
• Agricultural Practices: 90% of the population were living in rural areas.
• Nutrition: There was widespread hunger and malnourishment.
• Health and Hygiene: The average age was just over 40 years old.
All STEM priorities fell away as a result, with consequences resonating today.
1980 - 1990s: Under President Nyerere, Tanzania's national metrics improved – average life expectancy rose to 51 - but his Afro-socialist policies contributed to economic stagnation, prompting his retirement in 1985. His successors liberalised the economy and enacted the Education and Training Master Plan which not only included structural reform, but emphasised vocational training to prepare youth for the job market and tackle unemployment.
This Plan, however, inadvertently widened socio-economic disparities exacerbated, curiously, due to language. State sponsored primary education is taught in Kiswahili, whilst secondary tuition is in English, and the transition posed difficulties for many students. However, private primary schools offered English instruction, giving their students an advantage in the secondary system, but at costs unaffordable to most, exacerbating inequality.
2000 onwards: Following the structural reform of the previous era, the government has intensified focus on STEM education to align with global standards and enhance economic prospects. More recently, Information and Communication Technology has been embedded in the curriculum to close the digital gap and arm students with modern skills.
Further, there are efforts to boost English proficiency from early education through to university, aimed at improving secondary school completion rates, and create a workforce better prepared for global engagement.
What Does That Mean Today?
There is an experienced STEM skills gap in Tanzania today. The early 2000s saw the introduction of STEM education, but although it produced skilled graduates, these individuals are all under 30 and lack mentorship from seasoned professionals. This experience deficit is significant, as it will take several generations to develop a mature base of expertise and a culture of mentoring.
This gap extends to administrative and management skills, hindering the expansion of businesses beyond small-scale operations. For example, in the construction sector, poor management is estimated to cause a loss of around 127 million USD for every billion USD invested.
For DEC's construction of Tanzania's first industrial pyrolysis machine, the necessary skills and experience were not available domestically, necessitating international expertise.
Lessons Learnt
Enter Nico Rövekamp, a Dutch civil engineer whose interest extended beyond the project itself and into the development of Tanzanias graduate engineers. It presented an opportunity for DECs junior engineers to benefit from Nico’s considerable experience, and learn some tangible, practical skills that would have been hard to come by otherwise. Such lessons gained from experience that were shared included:
• Taking ownership of their role and responsibilities, which often meant managing a team. In a culture of non-confrontation and indirect communication, it required a shift in thinking within their professional lives.
• Introducing more flexible, agile project management methods, and forward planning, replacing the typical sequential, linear style of project management.
• Lateral thinking for solving problems and recognising that there are often many ways to skin a cat (note: no cats were harmed!).
While to some extent the above can be all learned through books and lectures, the value of experienced mentorship lies in bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and its application in the real world. Mentorship also transcends practical demonstration, but also bolsters confidence and provides essential support to those at the beginning of their careers, helping them to refine their skills in a work environment. Ideally, DEC engineers will carry these skills throughout their professional journeys, perpetuating a culture of training and mentorship as they advance in their own careers.
Best Time to Plant a Tree
As Tanzania's economy continues to globalise, the need for STEM expertise and management acumen will grow. The education system must persist in developing STEM education and broadening its reach if it is to satisfy this demand. A good first step would be removing barriers to secondary education, such as offering instruction in Kiswahili.
The private sector must also play its part by mentoring young graduates in practical, managerial and leadership skills. However, these changes will unfold over decades. In the interim, hiring international talent for more than just technical skills, but with a social mindset to mentor and train, could mitigate the current skills and managerial shortage. This topic is explored in greater detail by the Global Prosperity Institute.
As the proverb goes, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is now," it's essential to invest in education and skill development immediately. The payoff will take time, but beginning now is critical for future prosperity.
Up next in Field Notes…
The successful completion of the reactor marks a significant milestone for DEC and represents more than just progress towards commercial production. Under Nico's guidance, a cohort of junior staff have gained invaluable skills and expertise that would be difficult to receive elsewhere. This guidance has not only prepared them for imminent operational roles and future growth within the DEC, but also positioned them to perpetuate a culture of mentorship as their careers progress.
The focus now shifts to successfully connecting the electrics, switching the thing on and commencing production trials!
This is such an insightful perspective! Do you think Tanzania is unique or does its history reflect wider trends in Africa? Presumably there is also a very challenging gender dimension in the STEM labour shortage as well...