International Labour Organization (ILO) says collaborations with private sector organizations such as The Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) and the Tea Association of Malawi (TAM) remain instrumental to eradicating child labour in Malawi’s tea and coffee sectors.
Minoru Ogasawara, Chief Technical Adviser for the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains in Africa Project (ACCEL Africa), said this during a project review session held in Lilongwe.
The project, which ends in December 2024, brought together technical experts and key partners to combat child labour in small and medium-sized enterprises and estates in Malawi’s tea and coffee industries.
Deputy Labour Commissioner Wafwile Musukwa said the project has raised awareness within communities engaged in tea and coffee farming.
Musukwa said employers in these sectors now understand the importance of ensuring that children are not involved in agricultural work.
TAM Chief executive officer Tonda Chinangwa said the association has introduced a mechanism that will help monitor progress within the smallholder tea community to make sure that the farmers are not employing children.
In 2018, ILO allocated $2.2 million to Malawi for the ACCEL Africa Project after noting that Malawi faced challenges in dealing withh child labour, particularly on smallscale farms.
By Gracious Banda