• Benin approves 2025–2029 jobs plan to boost youth employment
• Strategy targets underemployment, informal work, and skills gaps
• Backed by budget, performance metrics, and stakeholder input

Benin has officially approved the National Employment Agency's (ANPE) 2025-2029 strategic plan, according to a summary from the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

The plan envisions a healthy, innovative, and inclusive framework for the optimal professional development of young people by 2029. This strategic initiative is part of a broader structural reform to improve governance, develop a high-performance labor market information and monitoring system, and enhance access to decent, sustainable jobs and volunteer opportunities.

The strategic plan includes specific objectives supported by a structured implementation program. It is complemented by a budgeted action plan and a performance measurement framework, all developed through a collaborative approach with key stakeholders in the sector.

Addressing Underemployment and the Informal Sector

The new plan targets significant challenges in the country's labor market. According to the World Bank, Benin's unemployment rate was relatively low at 2.4% of the active population in 2022. However, the nation faced a high rate of underemployment, affecting nearly 72% of the workforce, while more than 90% of workers were active in the informal sector.

To address these issues, President Patrice Talon met with business leaders in July 2025 to increase Benin's attractiveness and promote the creation of decent jobs for young people. This effort led to the government's approval on Sept. 3 of the 2026-2030 strategic plan for the University Center for Professional Education. This plan aims to train 3,000 young people in diploma-granting programs by 2030, in addition to offering short-term qualifying courses and continuing education programs.

Ingrid Haffiny