Three years ago, Renaud Zankonnou was completing his hotel and catering training at the Centre Nonvignon, the project Tereo supports in Benin with its local partner, the NGO Ecobénin. Today, Renaud’s career path is living proof that quality training opens more than just the door to a job. It provides the keys to understanding an economic ecosystem and creating one’s own place within it.
Renaud has become a key player in local sourcing. His fresh fish trading and delivery business supplies up to 200 kg of seafood every day to hotels and restaurants in the Gulf of Guinea. With three employees, he is building up a sustainable business that already enables him to provide for his family and consider buying a plot of land.
The secret to his success? The in-depth understanding of the sector he acquired at the Centre. My training has given me a decisive advantage,” he explains. I speak the same language as the chefs, and I know their constraints in terms of hygiene, regularity and quality. Other suppliers can’t offer this level of confidence”. Over and above his culinary techniques and product knowledge, the entrepreneurial modules and professional network built up during his training courses enabled him to identify this opportunity and take the plunge with the right tools.
Renaud’s background is a perfect illustration of the Centre Nonvignon’s philosophy: to train young people with the aim of opening up a wide range of opportunities across the agri-food value chain. Tereo’s mission is to equip learners with transferable skills, an entrepreneurial vision and privileged access to the local economic network.
Supported in this way, they become agents of change, creating their own jobs and contributing to a more resilient and inclusive local economy. Renaud is not just an alumnus, he’s an entrepreneur shaping the economic landscape of his region.
Tereo is proud to support this dynamic of sustainable empowerment, in which each individual success strengthens the whole community!
