ANPE-ADMEC CTIB partnership : 474 interns land their first job thanks to Azôli

At the end of the internship/apprenticeship at Copao in Ouidah at AdMeC Ctib, 474 interns placed by the National Employment Agency (APPEAL) thanks to the Azôli system received their training certificates on Wednesday 14 February 2024. This official certificate delivery ceremony is coupled with the signing of the employment contract with the company..

On the 500 trainees registered at the start, 474 were able to complete the training. Good luck to them. They will all be recruited by the company with a formal employment contract.. “Sometimes our light goes out, sometimes it is turned back on by someone else… ». It is with this thought that Inatath Loka Atinoukè, spokesperson for the recipients expressed gratitude to Azôli on behalf of himself and his peers, to the Beninese government and the World Bank for this initiative which today is pulling them out of the abyss of underemployment and financial insecurity. During the eight (08) month of internship/apprenticeship, they learned to dismantle, assemble and design solar but also LED lighting systems. « At last, they are all capable of doing the job from start to finish” confided Inayath Loka. Comments confirmed by the Chairman and CEO of the company AdMeC Ctib. “They were technically good, humanly good and resilient” certified Boubacar Bathiery during the certificate delivery ceremony. Which led him to decide to recruit all 474 trainees who have followed the training. “A new page is turning, the one that will allow us to escape from the layer of the unemployed,” declared Inayath Loka with relief..

Joie, pride and satisfaction. These are the words that burned the lips of the Director General of ANPE. Urbain Amegbédji paid tribute to the Head of State Patrice Talon, printer living in Abomey-Calavi agrees, three years ago, reoriented the project by adapting it to the realities of the labor market and employment in Benin. He also welcomed the collaboration of the Ouidah town hall which made Copao available to serve as a framework for the training of 500 youth. “I bless the Lord for the AdMeC company, I bless the lord for Azôli, I bless the Lord for these young people and I bless the Lord for Azôli to remove these young people from poverty” suggested the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Employment Promotion, Modest Kérékou.

Businesses, strong link of the system

So that the Azôli system achieves its objective, that of going out 25.000 young people with financial precariousness on the horizon 2025, active collaboration of businesses is required, small medium but especially large ones having the capacity to put their sites, expertise experiences and their technical frameworks available to technically strengthen young people and equip them practically for employment. These, who for the most part, are neophytes in the sector of activity or have sometimes not set foot in school. A government dynamic that the company AdMeC Ctib has understood. Not only did she agree to train 500 young people but decided to sign employment contracts with 474 who were able to finish. “When you told us that you were going to take 200, we said hey if he can take some 100 it's already good. But to our great surprise, he says he will take all the young people who have finished the course. We couldn’t believe it” confided the Director General of ANPE, Coordinator of Azôli Urbain Amegbédji.

According to the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Employment Promotion, the CEO of AdMeC Ctib is like a precursor, a model to follow. “I would therefore like to take this opportunity to call on business leaders from all cities, of all 77 communities that they have the opportunity to follow a good example, AdMeC Ctib. They have the possibility of offering training to our young people wishing to be trained in their fields or in their profession” indicates Modeste Kérékou. “During the internship/apprenticeship period, full support is provided by the ProDIJ project, therefore by the government and its partner the World Bank”, reminded the Minister before adding “Business leaders will not have to pay anything except to offer their technical skills to our young people” - he insisted.

As a reminder, the “Azoli” system aims to reduce unemployment and underemployment of young people through professional integration into salaried employment or self-employment of “little or no education”. It takes into account young men and girls who are unemployed or underemployed, aged 18 at 30 years old and with a low level of education, the BEPC to the maximum. Even those who have never set foot in school are concerned by Azôli.

Arnaud ACAKPO (Coll)