Build a Skills Credentialing System for Nigeria's Informal Workers

A tailor with 10 years of experience has no certificate. A mechanic who can diagnose a Range Rover engine has no qualification. When informal workers want to move into the formal economy, get a loan, or expand their business, they have nothing to show for what they can do. Your challenge is to design a skills credentialing system for informal workers in one trade — tailoring, auto mechanics, electrical work, plumbing, or catering. The credential must be trusted by employers and lenders, achievable without years of formal training, and assessable in the field. Submit: credential structure, assessment methodology, who issues and validates credentials, how employers or lenders use them, how fraud is prevented, and a pilot plan for one city. Judging criteria: 35% employer and lender trust design, 30% assessment quality, 25% accessibility for informal workers, 10% anti-fraud logic.