Ouagadougou – Representatives from approximately fifteen African countries convened in the Burkinabe capital on Friday for discussions aimed at enhancing social protection for workers in both public and private sectors. The meeting, under the aegis of the Inter-African Conference on Social Welfare (CIPRES), focused on strengthening the social security system across the continent.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Apollinaire Joachimson Kyèlem de Tambèla, emphasized the importance of social protection as a cornerstone of any modern society that values equity and solidarity. The forum, which gathered social security technicians and decision-makers from over fifteen countries, is expected to significantly contribute to the advancement of social protection practices globally.
Speaking at the 35th ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of CIPRES in Ouagadougou, Dr. Kyèlem de Tambèla expressed satisfaction with hosting the meeting in Burkina Faso, noting its positive impact on the country’s image, especially in the wake of recent terrorist attacks.
Highlighting the socio-economic and security challenges faced by African states, including vulnerability to famine, disease, unemployment, and terrorism, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that significant decisions from the session would positively affect the lives of people in member countries and uphold their human dignity.
Bassolma Bazié, the Burkinabe Minister in charge of the Civil Service, underscored the collective understanding among African leaders that the continent’s development hinges on unity, cohesion, and solidarity. He lauded the pan-African spirit of the meeting, which aims to develop social welfare policies for the well-being of the populations.
Bazié also noted that this session of CIPRES saw the largest mobilization to date, with 16 delegations participating, despite some international perceptions of the country. He added that the meeting coincides with the international labor conference in Geneva, where African participation usually ranges between 10 to 12 delegations.
The current president of CIPRES, Gilbert Bawara, Minister of the Civil Service, Labor, and Social Dialogue of Togo, highlighted progress made in the last two sessions held in Lomé and Geneva towards achieving common objectives. However, he acknowledged that numerous challenges in social welfare still need to be addressed, especially in light of recent crises like COVID-19, the situation in Ukraine, and security issues in West Africa.
Bawara emphasized that the CIPRES approach is geared towards promoting cohesion and social protection among people. Established in 1993, CIPRES includes member countries like Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Comoros Islands, Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, DRC, Senegal, Chad, and Togo.
Bassolma Bazié, the Burkinabè Minister of Civil Service, will lead the CIPRES meeting scheduled from December 13 to 15, 2023.