This initiative aimed to strengthen the capacities of the Central African Republic, the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and provide them with the tools to establish their own employment observatories, especially in the context of crises. The collaboration also brought together the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to exchange knowledge on labour information systems through peer learning.  

In the context of South-South cooperation, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Office in Kinshasa, with financial support from the ILO Partnerships and Development Cooperation Department (PARDEV), provided an opportunity for a delegation of nine constituents to visit the Observatoire Rational de l’Emploi et de la Formation (ONEF), the employment observatory in Mali. ONEF emerged as a result of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Summit, which called on States to establish a national observatory to carry out studies and research in employment and training. The Subregional Observatory on Employment and Training in the WAEMU region will be created to promote employment and combat poverty. 

A study visit was organized in Bamako, Mali from 5?to 9?November?2018. There were three participants from each country, including representatives of trade unions, employer organizations and Governments. The delegates learned about establishing an observatory, which included understanding the various stages of the process, obtaining information about the difficulties encountered and the measures to reduce them, and speaking with development partners who helped set up the process. The visit focused on promoting regional integration by involving ECOWAS and ECCAS.  

Under this participatory approach, each country had a country-level tripartite consultation group and an official designated by the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training. Participants also included development partners with a particular interest in establishing a solid information system and integrated database in the Central African Republic, the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These partners could mobilize resources and provide support for implementing action plans following the South-South intervention by PARDEV. 

At the end of the tour, an action plan was prepared by each country with specific dates to return to Mali, begin studies for the establishment of an observatory, validate studies with the participation of ONEF and seek financing from development partners. The studies were validated on 12?December?2018 in Bangui, Central African Republic. The study tour also strengthened cooperation between ECOWAS, which was more advanced in the process of setting up observatories, and ECCAS, which received advice on how to replicate the experience of Mali successfully. The Central African Republic, the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were able to improve their policies, identify and resolve obstacles, devise financing strategies for the observatories and establish their role in supporting labour information systems. 

This good practice sought to improve the capacity of policymakers to create and manage information on the labour market and update data on a regular basis for continuous tracking of the employment situation. This will help countries better analyse the impact of investments on employment and training, create a database on the labour market, identify sectors with potential for job creation and improve decision–making in times of crisis. The initiative strengthened continuous cooperation among ECCAS countries to create their national observatories as a first step in creating a regional observatory on the labour market. 

An ongoing discussion with ECCAS will expand experience in the subregion. The models developed in the Central African Republic, the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo can be replicated in Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe. It will require a good system of transparency, social dialogue and a healthy labour institution.