Osman A. Ayariga, Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, has called for a fundamental shift in Africa’s education systems, urging a move away from certificate-based outcomes toward the development of practical, market-relevant competencies.
Speaking at the Continental Youth Symposium on “African Youth at the Frontier of Technologies, Innovation, Sovereignty and Jobs in the Digital Age” in Tangier, Morocco, he stressed that current education models are not adequately preparing young people for the demands of the modern workforce.
“Skills development must be reframed. The measure of success is not a certificate on a wall but meaningful, demonstrable competencies,” he stated.
He emphasised that aligning training with industry needs is critical to addressing the disconnect between education and employment across the continent.
Osman highlighted Ghana’s National Apprenticeship Programme as an example of efforts to bridge this gap through collaboration between government, industry, and the private sector.
According to him, the programme was developed with the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training and other partners to ensure that training is demand-driven and relevant to the labour market.
“This public–private collaboration ensures apprentices learn skills employers want and markets value,” he noted.
He further called for the scaling of competency-based training models across Africa, alongside the integration of digital literacy and entrepreneurship into education systems.
The symposium brought together policymakers, youth leaders, development partners, and representatives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Pan-African Youth Union to deliberate on skills development, innovation ecosystems, and the future of work on the continent.
