Nigeria’s Minister of Education and the ILO call for a revolution in African skills development. Saying that integrating the informal Apprenticeships into quality-assured frameworks can bridge the credentials gap and provide millions of youth with recognized pathways to decent work.
By Isqil Najim
Nigerias Minister of Education has told Africa that its informal economy is not a fringe concern but the continents dominant economic engine employing more than 80 per cent of the Sub Saharan workforce and that the skills it generates must be certified not ignored
The declaration delivered at the opening of the 3rd Annual Regional Conference of the Sub Saharan Africa Skills and Apprenticeship Stakeholders Network SASASNET in Abuja on Tuesday set the policy tone for a three day gathering that is drawing governments development partners and skills advocates from across the continent
The conference runs from 2 to 4 June 2026 at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja It is chaired by Senator Uba Sani Governor of Kaduna State and convened under the theme Scaling Apprenticeship for Decent Work in Quest for Quality Skills Development in the Informal Economy Representatives of the International Labour Organisation ILO and the African Development Bank AfDB are among the delegates
Represented at the opening by Permanent Secretary Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan Hon Dr Morufu Olatunji Alausa Nigerias Minister of Education told delegates that informal apprenticeship networks across the continent from Panteka in Kaduna to Jua Kali in Kenya and the roadside mechanic clusters of West Africa are already outperforming formal education on the single metric that matters most the number of young people trained
Traditional unstructured apprenticeships train more youth than all formal universities and polytechnics combined the Minister said
Yet those same systems he warned carry a critical historical flaw Historically these informal systems have suffered from a lack of standardisation he said adding that this gap often exposes youth to exploitation and leaves them with uncertified skills
The solution he argued is not to dismantle informal training but to bring it inside a quality assured framework without stripping it of the agility that makes it accessible to millions of young Africans who will never enter a formal classroom
Nigerias Template Break Trades Into Competencies
The Minister said Nigeria is already demonstrating a practical path forward through its New TVET Initiative which integrates master craftspeople as recognised trainers under the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework NSQF
Central to that framework is National Occupational Standards Modularisation breaking complex trades into small verifiable units of competency so that artisans can gain formal recognition for what they already know without passing through an irrelevant academic curriculum
A roadside mechanic doesnt need to pass calculus to become a master diagnostic technician the Minister said They only need verifiable practical competency in their trades
The Minister set out a clear toolkit for governments across the continent Sector Skills Councils to coordinate standards across industries Recognition of Prior Learning RPL to validate skills acquired informally dual apprenticeship pipelines with a minimum of 80 per cent work placement and the issuance of National Skills Qualification certificates that carry weight with employers and financial institutions alike
He also stressed that upgrading the trainer is as important as upgrading the system Informal master artisans must be equipped with modern tools basic digital literacy and workplace safety protocols so they can pass on modern techniques to apprentices he said noting that ILO Recommendation 208 on Quality Apprenticeships establishes the baseline of rights against which any such system must be measured
Skills as a Security Strategy
The Minister introduced a dimension not often heard in technical education discussions the direct link between skills development and national security
Scaling quality apprenticeships he argued is not only an economic intervention but a counter radicalisation one Idle hands are the primary recruitment pool for criminal syndicates and extremist groups he said framing the transformation of unemployed youth into skilled income earning artisans as a security dividend that Africas governments cannot afford to overlook
He told delegates that the conference must produce concrete shared perspectives that allow Africa to end its dependence on imported technical labour a practice that SASASNETs outgoing chairman Prof Idris Bugaje had earlier described as a continental embarrassment citing the deployment of 11500 Indian workers to complete the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria
The ILO A Doorway Not a Dead End
The International Labour Organisation arrived at the conference with a message that both reinforced and sharpened the Ministers call
Delivering remarks on behalf of Ms Fanfan Rwanyindo Kayirangwa ILO Assistant Director General and Regional Director for Africa the ILO told delegates that apprenticeship across the continent must be transformed from a pathway that leads nowhere into one that opens doors to recognition to better work and to dignity
An apprenticeship should never be a dead end the ILO said It should be a doorway A doorway to recognised skills A doorway to better jobs A doorway to enterprise development A doorway to dignity A doorway to decent work
The ILO grounded its argument in data Nigeria alone the organisation said has approximately three million young people learning skills through apprenticeships the vast majority of them in the informal economy
We cannot build effective apprenticeship systems by ignoring where most young people actually learn and work it said
Two International Frameworks One Imperative
The ILO identified two instruments as the international architecture for reform ILO Recommendation No 204 2015 addresses the transition from the informal to the formal economy ILO Recommendation No 208 2023 provides the framework for quality inclusive equitable and gender responsive apprenticeship systems requiring clear governance social dialogue decent working conditions appropriate remuneration social protection and links with labour market needs
The organisation cited active programmes already running across the continent apprenticeship strategies accounting for informal economies in Senegal and Guinea sector specific programmes in Uganda Tanzania and Ghana covering tourism banking agriculture and transport and Recognition of Prior Learning initiatives in Malawi Kenya and Ethiopia where national institutions have begun validating skills acquired on the job
This is not only technical the ILO said of the prior learning work It is also a matter of fairness A young worker should not be treated as unskilled because their skills were learned outside a classroom
Women Rural Youth and the Disabled Cannot Be Left Out
Both the Minister and the ILO were explicit that any credible scaling of Africas apprenticeship systems must reach beyond the urban male dominated clusters that have historically dominated policy conversations
The ILO called specifically for expanding access for women persons with disabilities and rural youth and for aligning skills development with the sectors that will define Africas next generation of labour demand digital technologies renewable energy and the broader green economy
Digitalization is opening new pathways for entrepreneurship and markets the ILO noted Green transitions are creating demand for new occupations and competencies African enterprises including small and informal enterprises are adapting every day
Reform Cannot Come From the Top
The ILO closed with a caution to governments tempted by top down approaches Apprenticeship reform cannot be designed from the top down it said It must include governments employers workers training providers communities and apprentices themselves When young people women workers and enterprises are included reforms are more likely to respond to labour market needs build trust and last
The organisation reaffirmed its alignment with the African Unions Continental TVET Strategy and the ILO AU Youth Employment Strategy and pledged the continued support of the ILO Africa Skills Hub a platform for knowledge exchange and practical guidance on apprenticeship design across member states