About 24 African countries, including Nigeria, under the aegis of the Sub-Saharan Africa Skills and Apprenticeship Stakeholders Network (SASASNET), have pledged to develop, adopt and implement comprehensive policy and legislative frameworks to facilitate the upgrade of informal apprenticeship systems to quality apprenticeships in the skills ecosystem.
  
They made the declaration at the second Sub-Saharan Africa regional conference on quality skills development and apprenticeship under the theme: ‘Transforming Apprenticeship Systems in the Informal Economy for Youth Employability in Africa’ held in Kenya.
 
The forum, which attracted the President of Sector Skills Council for Building in Nigeria (SSCBiN), Dr Samson Opaluwah, affirmed a strong commitment towards developing regional and national strategies that facilitate transition from the informal to the formal economy, and enhancing decent work. 
 
SASASNET declared that it would ensure that these systems are inclusive, quality-assured, and responsive to local economic needs, as well as ensuring that no skill is wasted and no worker is left behind.
 
In the declaration signed by the Secretary General of SASASNET, Ousman Sillah, and tagged: ‘Mombasa declaration’, the group called on governments on the continent to recognise, engage and promote the informal sector as a critical entity in their economic development strategies, prioritise funding and implementation of skills transformation strategies.
 
SASASNET also urged development partners and donors to align their support with national and regional priorities, while employers and workers’ unions should actively co-design apprenticeship models and provide structured on-the-job learning.
   
It appealed to youth organisations to continue advocating, innovating, and holding institutions accountable, while pledging to translate words into action within governments, institutions, and communities to ensure that African youths are equipped, empowered, and elevated to lead the continent’s next chapter.
  
To institutionalise Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), the body affirmed the critical role of the concept in enabling informal workers, especially youth and women, to receive validation and certification for their skills against prescribed standards.

“We commit to establishing an African Continental RPL Policy Framework and national RPL frameworks, investing in assessor capacity, and embedding RPL into national qualification frameworks. To establish a permanent SASASNET Youth Forum, we endorse the creation of a Youth Forum within the SASASNET governance structure to ensure that youth perspectives inform all decision-making. This forum will include diverse youth categories, including the out-of-school youth, youth in rural areas, youth with disabilities, and youth entrepreneurs, and will engage regularly with continental and national skills chapters/platforms,” it said.
  
Additionally, the stakeholders said they would adopt the African Union 1 million Next Level Initiative and implement it to reach at least 300 million young people on the continent by 2030, with opportunities for promoting Education, Entrepreneurship, Employment, Engagement, Health and Wellbeing (4E+H).
    
President of SSCBiN, Opaluwah, observed that the declaration, if well implemented, would transform skills development in Nigeria and other African nations.