Advisory Board Portrait : Patricia Veringa-Gieskes

Today with Patricia Veringa Gieskes (Democratic Republic of Congo), Chief Executive Officer DRC, The Job Factory.

As Managing Director of “The Job Factory” and in your role within the Federation of Enterprises of Congo, how do you view the importance of social for the economic growth of African countries, and especially what affects the world of work? In your opinion, is there a difference between the public and private sectors in this respect?

To date, the public sector has a lot of work to do regarding the «social» meaning the well-being of the population. We are living in an era where economic growth is no longer a sign of job creation, on the contrary unemployment is rising. It is necessary to review at the political level what «economic growth» means, because there can be no development possible without purchasing power, which comes from a stable income and ideally from decent work. Social justice advocated by the ILO, tries to be a collective response.

How to raise awareness among businesses and the public sector to invest in training and especially to adapt it to all geographies (especially in rural areas), populations and sectors?

The mastery of data is of paramount importance, because it makes it possible to understand why such action or decision are taken, in order to obtain a specific result. Demonstrate through studies that investing in training, in relation to agriculture for example, is a vector of greater job creation, in comparison with other sectors, and that this not only ensures food security, but also less dependence on imports. 

How do you plan to strengthen collaboration between private companies, such as yours, and social development actors, such as NGOs and educational institutions, to maximize the impact of your initiatives and ensure sustainable development for the region’s youth?

The Job Factory has obtained a Ministerial Arrete as a training center, in order to be able to provide certifying professional training, being at the heart of the need as a recruiter, Works with NGOs/institutions to identify young people in need of capacity building in specific training in order to provide this necessary fit, to ensure sustainable development of the skills of young people in the region. Within the FCE, we also collaborate with partners such as Microsoft to ensure, through the digital tool, access to as many people as possible.

As a member of the Advisory Board, what message do you want to send to young decision-makers from the continent

Invest in African youth, especially young women, because this youth represents the development of our businesses, growth and economic development of Africa.

The impact of the Choiseul ranking is necessary because it allows to highlight those sometimes forgotten or little highlighted in their own country. The forum consolidates the achievements and brings a reflection on the economic and social issues of the moment, and also serves as a platform for meeting and even bridge between the different actors of our society on the African and Global scale.