AVIC's ATC finalists honored in Season 6

According to a 2016 World Economic Forum report, 30 percent of the Kenyan workforce has inadequate skills.

To bridge the skill deficit gap and high unemployment levels on the continent, partnerships with the private sector are critical to channel resources toward developing a large pool of skilled human capital and improving their employability, said Betty Maina, principal secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives in Kenya.

"Africa hopes to secure the future of the manufacturing and industrializing sector as the foundation of sustainable jobs and economic expansion. But the sector is dynamic.

"This means the skills gap is always expanding and that is why industry feedback has indicated a mismatch between graduates and market demand. But even for the jobs for the future, we are not developing the skills because it is dynamic and that is why we need to be constantly updating," she said.

In his address, principal secretary of the State Department for Vocational and Technical Training Kevit Desai said the competition made a huge contribution to Africa's efforts in bridging inequality.

The Africa Tech Challenge is a youth empowerment project, which focuses on skills development and empowering the youth from various African states with practical skills.