• Central African Republic plans skilled trades chamber based on Burkina Faso model

• Initiative aims to boost youth training, jobs, and income activities

• Burkina Faso to support with expertise; sector key to employment growth 

Central African Republic plans to establish a chamber of skilled trades based on Burkina Faso’s model, in a bid to strengthen youth training and support income-generating activities.

The initiative was discussed on Monday, March 16, in Ouagadougou between CAR’s Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises, Hyppolite Jean-Paul Ngate-Robard, and Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo.

Bangui’s approach is based on knowledge transfer. “We are satisfied with the discussions,” Ngate-Robard said. The Burkinabe government confirmed its willingness to support the initiative by sharing its expertise in structuring the sector.

The decision is grounded in performance indicators, though not specified in the official statement, which, according to the minister, point to Burkina Faso’s progress in job creation, business development and reducing unemployment.

A model built over nearly two decades

Burkina Faso’s experience helps explain the choice. The craft sector is now the country’s second-largest employer and contributes around 30% of GDP. It engages nearly 2 million people across about 230 trades, including textiles, construction and food processing, according to the Chambre des métiers de l’artisanat du Burkina Faso (CMA-BF).

This reflects years of sustained effort. Established by decree in May 2007 and revised in 2009, the CMA-BF became fully operational in 2011. It began by registering artisans nationwide, maintaining a trades registry and organizing vocational training.

At the time, this was a major challenge. It led to the introduction of a professional artisan card and, according to official data, the identification of 89% of artisans by 2020. In September 2021, a three-year framework agreement with the government was signed to improve artisans’ access to public procurement.

Challenges remain. In 2024, CMA-BF President Germaine Compaoré said the registry still falls short of reflecting reality, with an estimated 3 million artisans compared to 2 million officially recorded. She also cited limited long-term funding as a key constraint.

An informal labor market under strain

In contrast, Central African Republic’s labor market highlights the risks of weak regulation. According to the African Development Bank, real GDP growth averaged 1.5% between 2016 and 2024, well below the CEMAC average of 3.7% and sub-Saharan Africa’s 3.6%.

This gap is also reflected at the individual level. GDP per capita fell by 0.2% in 2024, as population growth of 3.5% continued to outpace economic expansion.

A September 2025 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development noted that, despite abundant natural resources and clear comparative advantages in agriculture and mining, the country’s economy remains poorly diversified. It identified the craft sector as a priority value chain, but one of the least regulated.

This aligns with findings from a July 2023 African Development Bank evaluation of the Project to Support Socioeconomic Inclusion through Entrepreneurship and Diaspora Mobilization (PAISEMD), which highlighted structural constraints in the private sector. These include weak regulation, limited legal and economic tools, and restricted access to financing.

Employment data underscore the urgency. Central African Republic’s unemployment rate stood at 6.3% in 2025, unchanged from 2024, according to Trading Economics. The figure reflects a labor market dominated by informality and limited formal opportunities. Across Central Africa, nearly 92% of jobs were in the informal sector in 2022, according to the International Labour Organization.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou