ONEM : The host of the African Public Employment Services in 2022
From 17 to 18 October 2022, Kinshasa will be the capital of AASEP – the African Association of Public Employment Services. The objective is on one hand to pave the way for the Managing Board of WAPES -the World Association of Public Employment Services-, scheduled for November 2022, and on the other hand, to validate three (3) flagship projects, namely, the creation of the BAI -the African Intermediation Boulevard-, the creation of the CAFCE -the African Training Centre for Employment Counsellors-, and the PDEV -the Programme for the Development and Promotion of Green Jobs in Africa. The National Employment Office (ONEM), as technical body of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for Employment and as a member of the Managing board of WAPES, will be honoured to welcome and host its African counterparts from the Public Employment Services, within the framework of the ordinary session of the AASEP Executive Committee.
The meeting will be chaired by the Director General of the National Employment Agency of Mali and current President of AASEP, Mr Ibrahim Ag Enock. The AASEP decided to create the BAI -African intermediation boulevard-, considering the impact of digitalisation on the organisation and functioning of the Public Employment Services all over the world as well as the already ongoing experiences in this area in some member countries. This is why it was so important to create a digital platform linking all the PES and their range of services, so as to facilitate the matching of labour market supply and demand.
As for the African Employment Counsellors Training Centre (CAFCE), It seems necessary to specify that currently no formal structure has been created in the region to deal with the specific training and skills development needs of employment counsellors. There is no centre that responds to the precise needs of the Public Employment Services in terms of qualified and competent human resources for the effective fulfilment of their missions. Therefore, creating the CAFCE is intended to remedy the lack of a structure exclusively dedicated to the training of employment advisors in the Public Employment Services, by providing all the expertise required in this area to the other stakeholders involved in the labour market. Climate change, environmental challenges and other natural resource degradation and depletion are key concerns for all economic actors, including the Public Employment Services. This is why AASEP must adapt to this environmental context, and promote public employment services that take these challenges into account through projects and programmes fostering job creation in these areas. As a result, this project focuses on the development and promotion of jobs through projects and programmes initiated by AASEP’s PES members.
The 18 countries that will be participating in the meeting through their respective Public Employment Services are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Gabon, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Zimbabwe. The AASEP comprises 19 member countries in the African Region, one of the five geographical areas of WAPES, which includes 82 countries around the world. As a reminder, it should be recalled that the National Employment Office of the DRC- ONEM- has been elected member of the Managing Board of WAPES, at the conclusion of the world organisation’s 12th Congress, held in Tallin, Estonia, from 26 to 29 April 2022. It is also a member of the Executive Committee of AASEP.
Michèle KINGWAYA, ONEM, Congo