Two training workshops in Sumbe, Kwanza Sul, 19-22 April 2010

The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) and the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Bureau for Employers Activities (ILO/ACT/EMP) together with Angola’s Chamber of Commerce, CCIA, have entered into a close partnership regarding “Training of trainers for small and medium sized businesses (SMB)” in Angola. The inclusion of ILO’s tools for training of trainers is a further step in the already well established cooperation between CCIA and NHO.

At the same time, another element was introduced to this cooperation. NHO and ILO were asked to assist  in meeting the need to strengthen the 18 CCIA province chambers. Accordingly, the said partners have carried out a 4 days’ workshops with the headline “Effective Employers’ Organisations in Angola”.

16 out of Angola’s 18 provinces had CCIA representatives attend the workshops.The objectives were:

•  To enable local CCIA chambers effectively render services to SMBs concerning business management
•  To train local trainers to act as resource persons for SMBs in  Angola and to fulfill that role in a framework of the Provincial Chambers
• To strengthen the Province Chambers in how to become more professional in lobbying, how to improve  service deliveries, how to improve governance structures and how to retain og increase membership

 The provincial chambers of CCIA in Angola are facing a number of challenges such as:

•  Little experience in running day-to-day operations in the major part of the province chambers
•  There is a no culture for “association/organisations” in Angola, partly due to the conflict and social unrest that the country experienced until 2002
•  Angolan SMEs are not aware of the advantage of being members of an Employers’ organisation
•  Financial resources
• An undeveloped framework  for lobbying and social dialogue between government, trade unions and employers organisations

The participants in the two workshops were very active in the sessions and in the learning process. A thorough evaluation was carried out at the end of the workshops. This brought to the surface the need for more specialised and further training. Recommendations included the need to highlight in future workshops African examples of how to run businesses, how to utilise competence from employers’ organisations and how to solve day-to-day problems. NHO and ILO were called upon to further develop the concept for these workshops to be held at the end of the year.