Technical assistance to support the operationalisation of the Congolese Employment Agency

To increase business competitiveness and young people’s qualifications, the Congo has set an ambitious objective of diversifying its economy. This requires a quantitative and qualitative strengthening of its capacities for training and innovation. The ambitions set out in the new National Development Plan (PND) 2022-2026 highlight the need to create the conditions for a strong, diversified and resilient economy.

The ecosystem of skills training and employment, which is led by the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Education (METP), suffers from a significant lack of management, competences and information. It is today unable to address the needs of employers and issues related to the diversification of the economy.

To improve this situation, since 2019, the Government has undertaken several key reforms in the sector, including the creation of the National Fund for Support to Employability and Apprenticeship (FONEA) and the Congolese Employment Agency (ACPE). These new structures need to be accompanied and aligned with an ambitious employment policy which remains to be built and implemented. Since 2020 and 2021, respectively, expert support financed by AFD has been set up at FONEA and ACPE through Expertise France and, still through Expertise France, at Pôle Emploi International (PEI).

Consult the ACPE website: http://www.acpe.cg/

Find out more about the technical assistance to the National Fund for Support to Employability and Apprenticeship (FONEA) 

Since October 2021, Expertise France has been involved in the technical assistance to the Congolese Employment Agency, as the lead partner of the technical assistance, and to Pôle Emploi International as a partner operator. The project has four main areas of operation.

1. Support the development of a range of service based on users’ needsThe project will initially carry out a mapping of the actors in vocational integration (employment, training, entrepreneurship) and devise a range of services adapted to the characteristics of the country and the means of ACPE.

The deployment of this range of services will subsequently be phased in nationwide.

2. Strengthen the general management and administrative and financial management of ACPE

The project will contribute to improving the management capacities of ACPE by building on tools that will allow it to ensure an efficient general management and administrative and financial management.

3. Strengthen and equip ACPE’s human resources function

The objective is to transform the human resources function to ensure it is able to support the ramp-up of ACPE in the deployment of the new range of services by developing its human resources. This activity will be complemented by skills development for the officers.

4. Preparation of the installation of an information system

The project will define the framework for the implementation of a single information system which must include networking the agencies, digitalising business processes, building databases and creating a digital platform to connect job vacancies and applications.