At a brief ceremony on the sidelines of the recently concluded ECOWAS workshop on the development of a regional TVET Policy at the Kairaba Hotelon Thursday, 21 September, 2023, Hon. Ousman Sillah, Founding Secretary General of the Sub-Saharan Africa Skills and Apprenticeship Stakeholders Network (SASASNET), accompanied by Engr. Abbati D. K. Muhammad, SASASNET Executive Committee Member and Project Manager of IDEAS of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, made a formal presentation of the plaque of this newly established continental organisation to Dr. Yusupha Touray, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST).
Presenting the plaque, Hon. Sillah said the SASASNET leadership is going round to make this symbolic presentation of the continental organisation to all the governments of the member countries. He said this is the second in a series of similar presentations following the first one done by the SASASNET Chairperson, Prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje, with the Ministers responsible for Education and Training in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The SASASNET Secretary General noted the acknowledgement of this embryonic continental initiative by MoHERST and called for its full support in the establishment and effective functioning of the national chapter and processes to skills and apprenticeship development in the country.
Engr. Muhammad, for his part, expressed appreciation to the government of the Gambia for supporting SASASNET which is coming to accompany the African countries to work together to enhance skills and apprenticeship and ensure sustainable development in the continent.
Receiving the official plaque on behalf of his Minister Hon. Prof. Pierre Gomez, Dr. Touray thanked SASASNET for the presentation and expressed the support of his ministry to the initiative and organisation. He expressed the apology of the Minister for being unable to receive it on behalf of the Government of The Gambia due to time conflict of attending Cabinet and National Assembly engagements. The PS MoHERST, nonetheless, assured the commitment and support of government to skills development and the work of SASASNET.
The event was moderated by Mr. Anthony Mendy, Director of Tertiary Education, MoHERST, and attended by senior officials from the Ministry, CEO NAQAA, ECOWAS officials and members of the country delegations to the regional workshop.
