Modernizing crafts and apprenticeships in Tanguiéta, Northern Benin

Benin has a population of 11.6 million, of whom 75,000 are first-time job seekers without qualifications each year. Indeed, the craft sector represents 141% of the national GDP but suffers from the near absence of training centers and apprenticeship programs. Artisans struggle to develop their businesses due to the population's low purchasing power, a lack of continuing education, particularly for young people, limited collaborative practices, and a shortage of equipment and tools to produce higher value-added goods. Furthermore, in a context of economic poverty, many families cannot afford access to water, and few households have wells near their homes, resulting in significant water collection burdens and increased tensions during droughts.

In Tanguiéta, these difficulties are reflected in one figure: 651,300 households live in conditions of significant deprivation in terms of access to education, care, employment, energy and water.

To address these challenges, the Tanguiéta artisans' collective has sought to increase its use of continuing education through a three-year action plan implemented in partnership with the Association Solidarité Nord Bénin Nord de France. Within this framework, the collective emphasizes the modernization of traditional crafts, coupled with the development of collaborative approaches and the pooling of resources. To support this initiative, the construction of a technical and training center has been proposed and will be built in Tanguiéta.