SASASNET Appoints Gasper West Africa Vice-Chairperson, Urges Training, Certification Harmonisation

Funmi Ogundare 

Sub-Saharan Africa Skills and Apprenticeship Stakeholders Network (SASASNET) has appointed the President of Universal Learn Direct Academia (ULDA), Chief Olawumi Gasper, as its vice-chairperson for West Africa.

The election was held at the first meeting of the General Assembly, which is the highest decision-making organ.

In a statement, the Secretary General, Hon. Ousman Silah, explained that the vice-chairperson would work with the country focal persons (CFPs) in the regions under their purview and guidance.

In a similar development, SASASNET has stressed the need for member countries to harmonise their training, qualification and certification framework.

The network was inaugurated recently in Abuja, with the primary objective to share experiences in apprenticeship training in the skills development agenda and enable members to become self-sufficient. It will also create an opportunity to share knowledge and experience regarding policies and practices on how to preserve and improve apprenticeship systems in the informal economy to promote quality, innovation, economic development, and social justice and to support policy dialogue for the incorporation of good practices into national and regional training.

In a communique signed by Silah at the inauguration of SASASNET and the workshop, he expressed hope that the network will develop an 

African Skills Qualification Framework (ASQF) will enable ease of labour migration across the continent, especially with the upcoming Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA) initiative. 

“Each member country shall develop its National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) with adequate provisions for the informal sector,” he stated.

Skills development activities, Sillah noted, should be streamlined under the National Skills Council (NSC) or similar bodies across member countries, adding that the network should ensure mapping and needs assessment of informal sector skills across the economy in collaboration with national public institutions.

The secretary general stated that the network would create an African Skills Passport (ASP) that allows legal skills migration within sub-Saharan Africa.