OAN takes part in the 2nd National Forum on Volunteering in Benin

From March 17 to 19, 2025, the National Employment Agency (AnpE) held the second edition of the National Forum on Volunteering in Bohicon. The main objective of this gathering was to strengthen the role of volunteering within the socio-professional fabric of Benin.

Since 2021, the Beninese government has been driving an ambitious reform aimed at improving youth employment and strengthening collaboration among the entities working for their future. Within this framework, the AnpE coordinates the volunteering programs with the support of the African Union and ECOWAS.

The Bohicon forum was part of this dynamic, highlighting volunteering as a key tool for employability and community development. During the event, young people were made aware of the opportunities that volunteering offers: acquiring practical skills, expanding their professional network, improving their employability and, at the same time, contributing to the development of their communities.

In short, this initiative seeks to promote volunteering as a path to professional integration for Beninese youth, strengthening their civic commitment and their active participation in the country's socio-economic development.

It is worth noting that this second National Forum on Volunteering brought together 35 participants from 11 of the 12 departments of Benin. The attendees discussed key topics for strengthening the National Platform of Youth Volunteering and Exchange Organizations (PNOVEJ).

The forum provided a valuable opportunity for the sector's actors to share innovative approaches that make it possible to fully integrate volunteering into the country's development and professional integration strategies.

The participation of representatives from almost the entire territory —with the sole exception of the Alibori department— is proof of the effectiveness of the awareness-raising actions carried out beforehand.

The forum was attended by 24 civil society organizations and 2 international volunteering organizations, among them France Volontaires.

At the end of the gathering, OAN was chosen, along with other organizations, as departmental focal point of the National Platform of Youth Volunteering and Exchange Organizations in Benin (PNOVEJ BENÍN).