Burkinabè employers: who to succeed Apollinaire Compaoré?

2023-10-16 08:15:11

• He has the right to a second term

• New management team, October 24

• Receipt of application files since October 3

Qui to preside over the destiny of the National Council of Burkinabè Employers (CNPB) for the next five years? While the mandate of the current management team, in place since 2018 and led by Apollinaire Compaoré, is drawing to a close, the process of renewing the organization’s bodies has been launched since September 15. This process should lead to the holding of an elective general assembly on October 24, the date on which a new office will be elected.

How does this electoral process take place? What are the different stages? To these questions, the CNPB Statutory Committee wanted to provide answers, through the holding of a press conference on September 29, 2023, in Ouagadougou. A conference moderated by the vice-president in charge of social dialogue of the CNPB, Harouna Togoyeni, and two members of the Statutory Committee, Augustin Bambara and Aymar Tiendrébeogo.

It must be said that the path leading to the renewal of the CNPB bodies is 24 steps long. Essentially, it should be noted that the candidacy files for the presidency of the Council have been received since October 3 and 4. This will follow: notification to candidates of the acceptance or rejection of their application (October 6); receipt of appeals (October 7 to 14); display of the list of successful candidates (October 16); publication and display of the voters list (October 20). After the elective general meeting, appeals contesting the election will be received and will be the subject of a decision by the Statutory Committee no later than November 2, 2023.

According to the regulatory statutes of the CNPB, applications for the presidency of the Council are free and natural persons are eligible, provided they meet a certain number of conditions (read box). As for the candidacy for the position of member of the Bureau, only individuals representing an association or a company member of the CNPB and with two years of membership to the Council are eligible. As for voters, only members with at least one year of membership in the CNPB and the presidents of the Regional Employers’ Councils have the right to vote.

While awaiting the renewal of the authorities, the current president of the CNPB, Apollinaire Compaoré, authorized to run for a second and final five-year term according to the texts of the Council, as well as the 35 members of the CNPB Bureau can pride themselves on having noted “several challenges” during this five-year term. This is what the vice-president, Harouna Togoyeni, wanted to emphasize. And to cite, among other achievements: an improvement in the visibility of the CNPB through the organization of the Meeting of African Bosses in Burkina (REPAB); participation in social dialogue and public/private sector dialogue; strengthening governance and participation in promoting the employability of young people, as well as improving the human resources of companies.

As a reminder, the CNPB, created in 1976, is an employers’ organization with a trade union character whose main objective is the defense of the material, moral and professional interests of its members. The organization plays an interface role between the private sector and public authorities, development partners and workers’ union organizations. It pursues, among other objectives, the establishment in Burkina Faso and the sub-region of an environment more favorable to the expansion of the private sector; the improvement of the internal management of companies and professional groups, the representation of the private sector before public authorities, at the national, regional and international level. In figures, the CNPB is 80 professional groups and associations, 90,000 large companies, SMEs, microenterprises and VSEs; 70% contribution to GDP; 7,000 young people and women trained in emerging professions and 2 million jobs created.

Béranger KABRE