Philippe N’dri Calls for Greater Investment in Skills Development Across Africa

ADDIS ABABA (ILO News) – Dr Philippe N’dri, President of the African Network of Vocational Training Institutions and Funds (RAFPRO), shared a strong message on the importance of investing in skills development as he spoke during Africa Skills Week 2025, which brought together policymakers, young people, trainers, development partners, and private sector leaders from every region of the continent.

"It was a great honour to be invited by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to attend the Africa Skills Week 2025, which highlights the need for countries to focus on skills development for enterprises, particularly for the development of their productivity and competitiveness, which are key issues that can only be addressed through the implementation of a skills development plan for enterprises, for the economy, and for the productive sector. We were therefore invited to speak on financing of skills development, the role and challenges of employers.

We were able to highlight the importance of focusing on skills development, that enterprises mobilize significant resources to support them in their efforts to develop their productivity and competitiveness. We therefore take this opportunity to invite other countries that are not part of this network and have funding to join RAFPRO to pool our expertise, resources, and efforts so that we can support skills development in our countries and within our companies and promote youth employability."