• FONAP rolls out apprenticeship-based training for 1,000 young people
• Program targets construction, automotive, energy, and agropastoral skills
• Initiative aims to boost employability amid labor market imbalances

Chad’s National Fund for Support to Vocational Training (FONAP) officially launched on December 16 in N’Djamena, an apprenticeship-based training program targeting 1,000 young people. According to local media, the launch ceremony was held at the Red Hall of the National Audiovisual Media Office (ONAMA), in the presence of several government officials, representatives of training centers, and private sector stakeholders.

The program offers training in a range of trades, including building electricity, automotive mechanics, refrigeration and air conditioning, tailoring, installation and maintenance of solar systems, and market gardening. It relies on a network of specialized training centers and combines theoretical instruction with hands-on practice, with the aim of improving youth employability while aligning skills with the concrete needs of businesses and high-potential sectors.

According to FONAP Director General Hamid Yamouda Djorbo, quoted by Alwihda Info, the initiative goes beyond training alone. He said the program represents an opportunity, a future, and a shared responsibility to prepare a new generation of skilled young people capable of carrying out activities that allow for the sustainable management of resources.

He added that the program is aligned with the political vision of President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno and forms part of the Chad Connection 2030 strategic project, which seeks to build a modern and economically resilient country.

The initiative comes against a backdrop of structural imbalances in Chad’s labor market. According to the National Institute of Statistics, Economic and Demographic Studies (INSEED), the unemployment rate as defined by the International Labour Organization stood at 5.7% in 2024. However, this figure masks the scale of informality, with 72.2% of the agricultural labor force operating in the informal sector, while 40.8% of workers are affected by overall underemployment.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou