Technical Advisor Alassane Ouédraogo, representing the Minister in charge of Handicrafts, Serge Poda, chaired a workshop-seminar on Monday on youth entrepreneurship, focusing on the central theme of the 17th edition of the Ouagadougou International Crafts Fair (SIAO): ‘African crafts, youth entrepreneurship and empowerment’.
According to technical advisor Alassane Ouédraogo, also chairman of the SIAO board of directors, the empowerment of young people is a major concern that attracts particular attention from the highest authorities in view of the issues related to it.
For him, investment in craft trades for young people remains below the real potential and the objectives expected by the public authorities.
“It is important to identify the levers of action needed to promote youth entrepreneurship in the craft sector by providing them with substantial technical, intangible and financial resources to enable them to invest more in the various craft professions and guarantee their economic and social indepen
dence,” said Mr. Ouédraogo.
The technical advisor spoke on Monday in Ouagadougou, during the workshop-seminar on youth entrepreneurship, on the central theme of SIAO: “African crafts, youth entrepreneurship and empowerment”.
An inaugural communication on the theme was presented by the Secretary General of the Ministry in charge of employment, Loé Adama Traoré. He stressed that crafts are a sector that creates jobs and offers many opportunities.
“The statistics speak for themselves: the sector represents nearly 30% of the workforce and contributes nearly 30% to the GDP, with more than 350 listed professions in which young people can be trained to help them get by,” explained Loé Adama Traoré.
As difficulties, the Secretary General deplored the fact that young people are unable to take advantage of opportunities, particularly due to the inaccessibility of training offers and funding.
Over three days, two sub-themes will be developed to provide the various stakeholders in the African crafts sector with a be
tter understanding of the issues and challenges.
The first will focus on training in craft trades, a lever for the empowerment of young people in Africa; the second, on the analysis of factors limiting entrepreneurship of African youth in the craft sector, challenges and perspectives.
The 17th edition of the Ouagadougou International Crafts Fair (SIAO), which began on October 25, 2024, will run until November 3, 2024 in the Burkinabe capital.
Source: Burkina Information Agency