PATRICK SEKONGO, Director of IECD, Ivory Coast
Delegate of the IECD (Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement) in Côte d’Ivoire for 12 years, Patrick Sekongo brings nearly 20 years of expertise in supporting vocational training and entrepreneurship in West and Central Africa.
In Côte d’Ivoire, he has implemented training projects designed to meet the integration needs of young Ivorians in job-creating sectors such as agriculture, energy, industry and construction. Nearly 15,000 young people have benefited from the IECD’s support. Patrick Sekongo is also Executive Director of Côte d’Ivoire Entreprises Développement (CIED), which has already assisted 10,000 small businesses and facilitated their access to finance, with the support of the IECD. Patrick Sekongo also contributed to the creation of an incubator dedicated to agri-food processing companies in 2016, with already 200 companies supported from product creation to marketing.
The projects led by Patrick Sekongo and his team are based on close collaboration between institutions (including the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training) and local businesses, to maximise the match between training and market needs. Patrick Sekongo is committed to unlocking the potential of young people and building a solid training ecosystem in Africa. That’s why he is committed to a sustainable approach, based on innovative teaching methods that integrate the challenges of the ecological transition, and that benefit both men and women.