The Sub-Saharan African Skills and Apprenticeship Stakeholders Network has explained why the Dangote refinery chose to hire 11,000 qualified workers from India rather than Nigerians.
The network indicated that the reason for the neglect was that Nigerian youngsters lacked the necessary abilities to participate in the project, Howng learnt.
It was also observed that the lack of channels to recognize talents earned in the informal sector in the majority of Sub-Saharan African nations, including Nigeria, has resulted in a lack of chances for skilled labor movement across African regions.
Furthermore, one of the reasons for the neglect was the unfavorable social perception of skilled employees, as well as the weak interface that exists between trade unions/associations and skill/apprenticeship development.
This was stated in a communiqué signed by the regional organization’s Secretary-General, Ousman Sillah, and delivered at the conclusion of its two-day conference in Abuja.
The communique read in part, “Africa should avoid a repeat of the same in the upcoming $25 billion Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline traversing the Gulf of Guinea to Europe; the absence of National Occupational Standards in many countries.”
It also said, “Each member country shall develop its National Skills Qualifications Framework with adequate provisions for the informal sector; SSANET shall collaborate with World Skills to promote competition and talent hunt amongst African youths.”
To enhance diversity, SSANET has advocated for the inclusion of NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) students in the apprenticeship training program.
Furthermore, one of SSANET’s recommendations was to engage in aggressive public awareness and engagement to transform the public’s negative impression of the value of skills and apprenticeship.
The statement also stated that Nigeria will host the Network’s Secretariat, while Kenya would host the next General Assembly in 2024.
