CERAV/Afrique

What CERAV/Afrique does

CERAV/Afrique (Centre Régional pour les Arts Vivants en Afrique / Regional Center for the Performing Arts in Africa) is a UNESCO Category 2 Center headquartered in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, created by decree on October 3, 2014 and inaugurated on March 28-29, 2016. Its mandate is to support African member states in implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, with a focus on performing arts, cinema, and audiovisual sectors across seven member states: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Chad, Senegal, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Morocco. The organization is constituted as a Public State Establishment of Scientific, Cultural and Technical Character (EPSCT), under the technical supervision of Burkina Faso's Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism and the financial supervision of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Development.

Its core offerings are non-commercial institutional services: a bilingual Digital Information Portal; a physical Resource Center in Bobo-Dioulasso housing over 1,000 specialized documents (books, theses, journals, audiovisual materials); an interactive OpenStreetMap-based Mapping of African Film Festivals; a Digital Library under development; and a published Strategic Plan 2017-2026. The technology layer is a documentation and knowledge-management system rather than a software product. CERAV/Afrique delivers capacity-building through regional workshops, public conferences, FESPACO participation, governance meetings (17-member Board, 11-member Scientific and Cultural Council), student internships (notably with Senghor University), and framework partnerships with institutions such as the Salé Foundation and the African Institute of Cultural Industries (IAIC).

Its business model is grant- and contribution-based, not transactional. Funding streams are UNESCO Category 2 support, member-state contributions (Morocco is named as an active contributor), and technical/financial partner grants (OIF, WBI, UEMOA, ECOWAS, AFRICALIA, etc.). Access to the Resource Center is free, with on-site consultation only. The organization employs 13 people and serves African governments, students, researchers, cultural operators and artists, and civil society organizations across the continent. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

CERAV/Afrique

Legal name

Centre Régional pour les Arts Vivants en Afrique (CERAV/Afrique)

Website

https://ceravafrique.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CERAV/Afrique is a UNESCO Category 2 Center in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, supporting seven African member states in implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity through a documentation Resource Center, regional workshops, and institutional partnerships serving governments, artists, researchers, and civil society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Cooperation and Performing Arts Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAIAGAH

Cultural Heritage, Arts & Archaeology Service Programs

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Service Learning, Volunteering & Gap Year Programs

Keywords

• Performing arts training
• Cultural policy assistance
• UNESCO convention implementation
• African cultural cooperation
• Documentation resource center

Headquarters

HQ city

Bobo-Dioulasso

HQ country

Burkina Faso

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. UNESCO Category 2 Center Funding: As a UNESCO Category 2 Center, CERAV/Afrique receives support and recognition from UNESCO for implementing the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
2. Member State Contributions: Member states contribute to the center's operations. Morocco has made financial contributions as an active member country.
3. Technical and Financial Partner Support: International organizations and development partners provide funding and technical assistance for specific programs and activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CERAV/Afrique is a UNESCO Category 2 Center that delivers training, technical assistance, documentation, and coordination services to support African member states in implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Its core offerings include a Resource Center with over 1,000 specialized documents on performing arts, cinema, and audiovisual sectors, regional capacity-building workshops, technical assistance to ministries of culture, an interactive mapping of African film festivals, and an in-development digital library. All services are provided free of charge to students, researchers, cultural operators, and member-state institutions.

Product overview

CERAV/Afrique (Centre Régional pour les Arts Vivants en Afrique / Regional Center for the Performing Arts in Africa) is a UNESCO Category 2 Center based in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. The organization's offerings consist of: (1) the Digital Information Portal as its primary online presence for communication and information sharing about African cultural sectors; (2) the Resource Center providing physical and digital documentation services on performing arts, cinema, and audiovisual with a reading room and planned digital library; (3) the Mapping of African Film Festivals as an information tool; and (4) strategic programs and technical assistance frameworks supporting African states in implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention. The center does not offer commercial products or technology services; its activities focus on institutional capacity-building, cultural diplomacy, research facilitation, and cooperation among African states in the cultural and creative industries sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Resource Center (Centre de Ressources) A documentation center located in Bobo-Dioulasso offering physical and digital resources on performing arts, cinema, audiovisual, and the 2005 UNESCO Convention. Includes a reading room of approximately 40m2 with WiFi access, open Tuesday to Friday from 8h to 16h, providing free membership and on-site consultation services.
• Mapping of African Film Festivals An interactive digital cartography tool mapping film festivals across Africa, providing geographic visualization and information about African cinema events.
• Regional Workshops and Training Programs Training and capacity-building workshops held in various African cities including Dakar, Ouagadougou, Abidjan, Niamey, and Segou, covering topics such as cultural cooperation, creative industries, infrastructure, and festival contributions to African cinema.
• Technical Assistance to Member States Technical assistance to African member states for implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, provided through the Guide pratique d'assistance technique published by the center.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Salé Foundation for Culture and the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2025Framework Cooperation Agreement signed May 28, 2025 at Said Hajji Cultural Center in Sale, Morocco. Aims to promote performing arts on the continent, exchange expertise and network African cultural actors, jointly organize workshops, colloquia, seminars and residencies, support capacity building through internships, fellowships and training, share documentary resources and specialized equipment, and support training, research and development of cultural and creative industries.
• African Institute of Cultural Industries (IAIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2025Framework partnership agreement signed May 23, 2025 in Ouagadougou. Focuses on training, research, promotion of performing arts, and development of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in Africa. Includes student internships, continuing education, joint scientific and cultural activities, co-publication of content, documentary resource sharing, and expertise exchange.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCO Category 2 Center under the auspices of UNESCO, mandated to support implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Creation authorized by the 35th UNESCO General Conference in 2009.
• International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational institutional partner supporting cultural cooperation and Francophone cultural initiatives.
• Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner supporting cultural exchange and international cooperation.
• Observatoire des Politiques Culturelles (OPC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for cultural policy observation and research.
• West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic union partner supporting cultural industry development in West Africa.
• Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional community partner for cultural cooperation across West Africa.
• African Union Centre for the Traditional Arts (CRA/IIT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican Union body focused on traditional arts.
• Observatory for Cultural Economy (OCPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for cultural economy research and analysis.
• AFRICALIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgo-African cultural cooperation program supporting cultural sector development.
• CELTHO-UA (African Union Center for Language and Traditional Arts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican Union center focused on languages and traditional arts, based in Niamey.
• Senghor University (Alexandria, Egypt)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational university providing student interns for academic placement at CERAV/Afrique. Students from Mali and Cameroon have participated in supervised research programs.
• French Institute of Bobo-DioulassominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench cultural institution that visited CERAV/Afrique for cultural cooperation exchanges.
• Joseph Ki-Zerbo UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Burkinabe university whose students regularly visit for educational field trips and cultural research activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Goethe-Institut: German cultural cooperation network operating globally with cultural programming, language training, and resource centres. Comparable to CERAV/Afrique in providing physical resource centres, capacity-building workshops, and member-state/government cultural cooperation, but at much larger scale and with German bilateral funding.
• British Council: UK international cultural and educational organization. Comparable in operating cultural resource centres, running capacity-building programmes, and engaging with governments on cultural policy across multiple countries, though with a much broader global footprint and Arts/English-language mandate.
• Institut Français: French cultural cooperation network with a global network of branches (including the Institut Français de Bobo-Dioulasso, which has partnered with CERAV/Afrique). Comparable as a Francophone cultural cooperation operator offering resource centres, training, and cultural diplomacy, but operating globally under French state auspices.
• International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM): UNESCO Category 2 Centre based in Rome focused on conservation of cultural heritage. Comparable as a UNESCO Category 2 institution delivering training, technical assistance, and documentation resources to member states, though with a tangible heritage/conservation focus rather than performing arts.
• International Council of Museums (ICOM): UNESCO-affiliated global museum and cultural heritage organization. Comparable to CERAV/Afrique as a Category-2-adjacent multilateral body promoting cultural preservation, professional capacity building, and policy support, but operating globally and with a broader museums/heritage remit rather than performing arts specifically.
• International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF): Partner organization supporting cultural cooperation and Francophone cultural initiatives. Comparable as a multilateral body promoting linguistic and cultural diversity — directly aligned with CERAV/Afrique's 2005 Convention mandate — but operating globally across the entire Francophonie rather than African performing arts specifically.

Direct peers

• Observatory for Cultural Economy (OCPA): Partner organization for cultural economy research and analysis. Comparable as a research-focused body supporting cultural sector development in Africa, sharing the documentation/policy-support function CERAV/Afrique delivers to member states.
• African Institute of Cultural Industries (IAIC): Signed framework partnership with CERAV/Afrique in May 2025. Directly comparable as an African institution focused on training, research, and development of cultural and creative industries, sharing the same regional mandate and target audience of cultural operators and policymakers.
• Observatoire des Politiques Culturelles (OPC): Partner organization for cultural policy observation and research. Directly comparable as a cultural policy observatory that supports governments in cultural sector development — overlapping mission with CERAV/Afrique's mandate to assist African states in implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention.
• African Union Centre for Language and Traditional Arts (CELTHO): African Union body focused on languages and traditional arts based in Niamey — listed as a CERAV/Afrique partner. Directly comparable as a continental institution promoting traditional African arts and cultural cooperation, sharing member-state-driven governance and a continental mandate for cultural development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CERAV-Afrique
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ceravafrique

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CERAV/Afrique