World-first engineering data analysis launched to enable Sub-Saharan policy makers improve safety

The Global Engineering Capability Review (GECR) 2025, published by Engineering X’s Skills for Safety programme in partnership with its founders, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, provides a new and unique framework for understanding engineering capability around the world.

Developed with the support of S&P Global Market Intelligence, the study provides the first comprehensive set of data on engineering capacity in 115 countries and builds on the first iteration of the report, published in 2019.

The Review shows that while nearly all geographies can do more to improve safety, countries with low engineering capacity, largely low- and middle-income countries, are most at risk of poor safety outcomes. It indicates an urgent need for investment in engineering capacity alongside the push for development in regions including Sub-Saharan Africa to reduce the risks of harm. Three areas were found to have the largest media capacity gaps across the region, in line with global findings:  investment in equipment and product testing, governance.

Professor Karin Wolff, Teaching & Learning Advisor in the Faculty of Engineering, Stellenbosch University and President of the South African Society for Engineering Education, said: “We are constantly looking for data that is relevant to Africa. Too often we’re chasing global north standards while operating within global south parameters. Approaches to engineering education need to be localised and require collaboration with government and professional engineering institutions, among others. The data-driven, systems thinking approach of GECR 2025 gives us the information necessary to have meaningful conversations that will drive informed change.”

The findings can also be explored via an interactive dashboard that allows communities, governments, civil servants, industry, investors, academics and working engineers to explore alongside local data and knowledge. Users can review where interventions could be most effective to address gaps and increased risk of harm, or how their region compares to local and global benchmarks.

Tim Slingsby, Director of Skills and Education at Lloyd’s Register Foundation and member of the Engineering X Skills for Safety board, added: “Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are under pressure to rapidly develop essential infrastructure, but without parallel investment in broader engineering capacity, such expansion could increase risks to both people and the planet.

“As a Foundation, our ambition is to become locally led. Projects like the GECR 2025 are not only trailblazing, but they are also an invaluable way to enable us to adopt a systems-based approach to assess a country’s engineering capacity, while identifying regional outliers to promote knowledge sharing across borders.

“Our ultimate goal was to provide a tool to enable key stakeholders to act independently, so we hope local policymakers will use our data to develop effective, targeted interventions, rooted in local context.”

One such outlier was identified by the Review in Sub-Saharan Africa:  Mauritius. The East African nation’s overall score places it within the “adequate” range for engineering capacity. Its strongest capacity area is in government enforcement, which refers to the act of ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and policies, for which it is ranked as “advanced” - the highest possible ranking.

The country, authors suggest, demonstrates just how much can be achieved by committing to improving the quality of engineering education. Back in 2021, a UNESCO report highlighted that Mauritius has the largest higher education enrolment rate in the region (40.6%).

Gaps identified in the GECR 2025 will help inform a series of global workshops led by Engineering X and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, centred on the socio-economic opportunities generated by improved engineering capability. Additionally, funding may be available to organisations proposing initiatives aligned with the Foundation’s strategy.

For more insights, join the GECR mailing list here.