Ouagadougou: The National Expertise Promotion Agency (APEN) met with media representatives on Tuesday in Ouagadougou to promote national skills and ensure greater visibility for its activities. 'We organised this information and awareness session with men and women from the media to present the Agency for the Promotion of National Expertise, its missions, its responsibilities, its activities and its mode of operation,' said the Executive Secretary (ES) of APEN, Hiediala Sylvie Meda/Sontie.According to Burkina Information Agency, Ms. Meda explained that these exchanges with journalists aim to raise awareness of national skills and to give greater visibility to the activities that the Agency carries out daily in the field. The Executive Secretary was speaking Tuesday in Ouagadougou, at a press information and awareness meeting dedicated to promoting national expertise.She also indicated that the Agency effectively began its operations in 2021 and that after five years of operation, it has 1,942 registered e xperts across all categories. These include Category A experts working within consulting firms, Category B experts working in the private sector, and Category C experts, comprised of state civil servants. According to her, national expertise is a profession regulated by law no. 006-2011/AN of May 17, 2011, which governs the promotion, development and enhancement of this activity.Continuing her explanation, Ms. Meda stressed that national expertise corresponds to the activity of a consultant, carried out in accordance with the legal provisions in force in Burkina Faso. "This meeting provides an opportunity for us to build partnerships with journalists in order to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves," she argued.The speaker and Head of the Coordination of Expert Networks service, Yacouba Korogo, for his part, discussed the conditions for issuing the national expert accreditation, the accreditation application platform, the areas of expertise, the number of accredited experts, as well as the achievem ents and prospects of the agency. According to Mr. Korogo, national expertise is defined as "the set of intellectual services that contribute to the socio-economic, cultural and political development of Burkina Faso".Created in 2011, APEN is a state-owned public establishment (EPE) with a professional focus. Its mission is to promote and enhance national skills.