UNIDO, ECOWAS, ITC-ILO and EU launch the first ever online training of trainers in West Africa

UNIDO, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the International Training Center of the International Labour Organisation (ITC-ILO) have launched a joint training of trainers to develop a pool of qualified trainers to help support enterprise creation and growth in the West Africa region.

The new initiative, implemented in the context of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) funded by the European Union, involves a training of trainers to deliver ILO’s “Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB)” training package. Participants from training institutions in each ECOWAS Member State (as well as Mauritania) will undergo a full trainer development cycle. Given the current restrictions in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the SIYB training of trainers will be held in a virtual format, which will be the first of its kind delivered in West Africa.

The online training programme will strengthen the capacity of training institutions to deliver entrepreneurship training in the 16 countries of the region. Thus, EU, UNIDO, ECOWAS Commission and ITC-ILO reaffirm their commitment to support the development of enterprises in the ECOWAS region during COVID-19 pandemic by using modern, innovative and accessible technologies. “This initiative is an outcome of the agreement reached with the European Commission to further deliver capacity building work under the WACOMP despite the numerous restrictions imposed by the current pandemic. Making best use of online distance learning to equip training institutions with strong training skills will contribute to the development of entrepreneurs and start-up companies in West Africa, including those owned by women and young entrepreneurs“ added Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, Managing Director of the Directorate of Digitalization, Technology and Agribusiness, UNIDO.

Visit the project website here.

For more information, please contact Rafik Feki (R.Feki [at] unido.org).