SA has incredible potential in the digital economy, but we’re being held back by a shortage of skilled professionals in a variety of fields, not least of which is information and communication technology (ICT). We need people who can drive innovation in AI, robotics and data science — the fields that could transform our economy.
With our economic growth at just 0.8% in the second quarter of 2025, we desperately need more software developers, cybersecurity experts, data analysts and AI specialists.
These skills create real opportunities for digital entrepreneurship and business development. They open doors to new markets, create jobs and boost our GDP by connecting people to opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
When considering the training of ICT professionals, there are multiple challenges: we’re not training enough people in key areas, there is often a mismatch between what is taught and what is needed, and the professionals who do successfully break into the market are being headhunted by international companies and are lost to emigration.
A Pnet Job Market Trend Report from February found that SA ICT professionals are in the top three most sought-after professionals being headhunted globally.
The shift to remote work since Covid-19 has intensified this drain. South Africans can now work for companies anywhere in the world without leaving the country, in effect removing them from our local talent pool even when they remain physically present, regardless of the difference in time zones.
However, this is still preferable to having professionals emigrate, since those who stay in SA still pay their taxes locally. This explains why many ICT skills are cited in SA’s 2024 national list of occupations in high demand, which highlights the need for ICT project managers, data management managers, IT managers and chief information officers.
There’s another dimension to this crisis because many young people who want careers in ICT cannot afford tertiary education. We’re losing talent before they even get started.
Potential solution
One promising approach is what is being called a Brics skills passport. While it is still in early development, it aims to homogenise certain key skills across Brics+ countries, allowing for easier movement between countries as well as more international collaboration based on common standards.
By creating skill standards comprising professional, curriculum and competition standards, we could enable mutual recognition of qualifications between countries and have a common expectation of competency in staff members. For example, a data analysis and visualisation qualification earned in SA would be recognised as equivalent to one from China or any other Brics+ nation.
The skills passport would also aim to simplify visa processes for skilled individuals with these standardised qualifications. This could make it easier for SA to source talent from other Brics+ countries, helping to bridge our skills gap. While this wouldn’t solve the broader issue of South Africans leaving for international opportunities, it would at least create opportunities to bring in skilled professionals from Brics+ partners.
There’s another potential benefit because standardised qualifications could open doors for South Africans to access quality education from other Brics countries through sponsorships and bursaries. Students who receive this funding could gain international work experience through work-back arrangements, bringing valuable expertise home.
High-level progress
Collaboration between Brics+ countries has buy-in at the highest level. In the July 6 Rio de Janeiro Declaration, Brics leaders committed to strengthening co-operation across political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people pillars, including education partnerships.
The Brics Network University recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with significant institutional strengthening. More institutions are participating, new member states are involved and co-operation areas are expanding. The university has built crucial dialogue between academic institutions, essential groundwork for a Brics skills passport to function.
The leaders have committed to exploring comprehensive, high-quality evaluation systems for Brics+ universities to ensure educational recognition across borders. The co-operation charter specifically emphasises student exchange opportunities in higher education.
Progress is already visible in joint postgraduate programmes that are being set up and in enhanced mobility initiatives. The university has identified six priority areas for co-operation, including computer sciences and information security.
Next steps
The roadmap involves two main actions.
- Brics+ countries will continue discussions about how national education assessments can inform policymaking and how data from these assessments can be harmonised across member states.
- Once sufficient progress is made in aligning data and assessment approaches, countries will revisit the potential for mutual recognition of academic qualifications. This would lay the groundwork for Brics-wide skills passports supporting easier academic and professional mobility.
While this initiative won’t solve all our challenges — especially the fundamental issue of SA talent being drawn to higher-paying international markets and extensive unemployment — it represents a practical step forward.
It could help us source and train people in areas where we desperately need skills and potentially open employment pathways for unemployed young South Africans in a rapidly expanding sector.
• Greeff is an associate professor and research co-ordinator at iTversity Belgium Campus.
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