"Africa: ILO Sets Out to Eradicate Child Labour in Africa"

International Labour Organisation (ILO) has rolled out a four-year project aimed at accelerating action in the elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa. The project, which is funded by the Government of Netherlands, seeks to promote improved national legislation and policies to address the basic needs and rights of children tha are engaged in or at risk of child labour in tea and coffee supply chains.

Speaking at the strategic planning workshop of the project in Lilongwe...Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development, Grace Chiuma, stressed the importance of advancing the fight against child labour in the country...Chiuma noted with pleasure that the project is targeting the agriculture sector where 75 per cent of the children are working and of these, 66 per cent are in child labour...

ILO Country Office Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, George Okutho, described the program as tailored with the local content considering the situation on the ground in Malawi...Representative of the Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU), Dennis Kalekeni...[said] "We should provide them with small scale businesses and financial support for capital because once we deal with poverty at household level, child labour will be contained,"...

The project, which has four-year life span from November 15, 2018 to November 15, 2022, will cover Cote d'lvoire, Egypt, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda.