TİKA Strengthens Production Capacity of Women and Youth in Gabon

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has provided technical equipment to a sewing workshop affiliated with the Gabon Fashion Festival Association (FEMOGA) in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, to expand access to vocational training for women and youth and support their economic independence.

According to the World Bank’s 2024 Development Indicators, the female labor force participation rate in Gabon stands at 35.7%, while the youth employment rate is 31.4%, both below the Sub-Saharan Africa average. Reports by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) further show that most women and young people in the country are engaged in low-skilled, informal, and insecure jobs or remain economically dependent.

Through this project, FEMOGA aims to provide practical training in sewing, embroidery, and textiles to 100 participants. With the equipment supplied by TİKA, the workshop has been transformed into a high-quality and sustainable training environment.

The handover ceremony, held at FEMOGA’s headquarters, was attended by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Libreville, Can İncesu, TİKA’s Vice President, Rahman Nurdun, and his delegation, Gabon’s Director General of Tourism and Handicrafts, Nzatsi Moussavou, and FEMOGA representatives.

In his speech, Ambassador İncesu underlined the importance of FEMOGA’s efforts to strengthen the production capacity of women and youth and expressed his satisfaction with the continued deepening of cooperation with TİKA.

TİKA’s Vice President, Nurdun, highlighted that the active participation of women and youth in economic life is a cornerstone of sustainable development, stressing that the workshop will not only provide vocational skills but also foster local production and preserve cultural identity.