13.10.2023
186 teachers, trainers and professionals from Central Africa's forestry and timber industry have been trained from 2021 to 2023 to create continuing professional development modules that meet market demand.
The training of trainers planned as part of the ADEFAC (Appui au développement de la formation continue dans le secteur forêt-bois en Afrique centrale) project ended with a session held in Kisangani (Congo) from September 23 to 26, 2023, attended by 21 teachers and industry professionals, including 4 women.
In the sub-region (Cameroon, Congo, Gabon and DRC), we now have a pool of 186 trainers, including 20 women, capable of building and deploying continuing training modules in collaboration with training institutions and professional organizations.
This is an opportunity for companies, smallholders and craftsmen to develop their skills and improve their production performance. For training institutions, it's an opportunity to integrate continuing education into their field of action.
One of the major challenges facing the countries of the Congo Basin is to ensure a smooth transition to further wood processing and sustainable management of the forest ecosystem. The main training needs relate to the management of wood processing units, drying, sharpening, social issues and finishing. There are also themes linked to climate change, such as carbon calculation, which is becoming increasingly pressing for countries in the Congo Basin who have no skills in this field.
Trainers trained in continuing vocational training have already developed and delivered two modules in Gabon (one on electrical diagrams and troubleshooting, and one on the fundamentals of mechanics) and three in Cameroon (one on Epoxy resin finishes on wooden furniture, one on the use of the Kaizen method in quality management, and one on processing techniques and managing a joinery or cabinet-making workshop). Other training courses are planned and will be published soon.
