By Emmanuel Uffot
Stakeholders in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) have pledged to work toward the elimination of child labour in the gold mining sector in Nigeria. The commitment was made during a private-sector engagement workshop organized by Solidaridad in collaboration with the International Labour Organization for the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chain in Africa (ACCEL Africa Project), an arm of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
At the workshop, key stakeholders were exposed to the Code of Risk mitigation for Artisanal and small-scale miners (ASGM) in engaging in Formal Trade (CRAFT Code) with particular emphasis on child labour risks and setting the stage for Public-Private Partnerships to support the elimination of child labour in the ASGM sector in Nigeria.
Yaw Britwum Opoku, programme manager Responsible Mining, Solidaridad, said CRAFT helps to bridge the gap between legitimate artisanal producers and refiners, jewellers, electronics companies, banks, and other supply chain actors. “The code helps both buyers and miners to assess critical social and environmental risks – such as child labour, illicit trade, and uncontrolled use of chemicals, among others – in artisanal supply chains. The code is progressive, defining clear criteria for critical risks while assessing opportunities for – and making commitments to – mitigate risks and improve on other social, environmental and safety practices,”.
In order to achieve this goal, the participants were enjoined to identify relevant laws that will enable the private sector and other businesses in the elimination of child labour, ensure the support of stakeholders to enforce the child rights acts and conventions, and encourage corporate social responsibility (CRS) of private sectors operating along the gold supply chain, and as well create public enlightenment on the risks of child labour.
Ojeka Patrick,, Director, Department of artisanal and small-scale mining, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel development in Nigeria, who declared the workshop open on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development said the ministry has over the years made concerted efforts to eliminate child labour in the mining sector through sensitisation, advocacy, awareness creation and the establishment of enabling environment for children who live in mine host communities to have normal and decent lives.
Also speaking at the workshop, Vanessa Phala, ILO director of country officer for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the liaison office for Economic Community of West African Countries, (ECOWAS), said the CRAFT Code is a unique tool that can contribute to enhancing the formalization of the ASGM sector by promoting its sustainable social, environmental, and economic development through the implementation of due diligence practices in the framework of both international regulations and national laws.
“In particular, it is designed to help both upstream and downstream players in the value chain to assess critical social and environmental risks, with a specific focus on empowering artisanal miners to improve their practices in order to create better working environments as well as access to global markets and better trading conditions,” she said.
In June 2019, the United Nations unanimously adopted a resolution declaring 2021 as the international year for the Elimination of Child Labour. This is to reaffirm member states’ commitments “to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.
Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa) is a regional project funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The project aims to address the root causes of child labour and has the overarching goal of accelerating the elimination of child labour in Africa through targeted actions in selected supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire (cocoa, gold mining), Egypt (cotton), Malawi (coffee and tea), Mali (gold mining and cotton), Nigeria (cocoa, gold mining) and Uganda (coffee and tea).
Solidaridad West Africa has been engaged by the ILO for the implementation of the Code of Risk Mitigation for Artisanal and Small-scale Mining Engaging in Formal Trade (CRAFT Code) and due diligence processes in the Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector in Nigeria, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire.
The workshop was held on June 30, 2022, in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The participants were drawn from the civil society organizations (CSOs), the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, academics, and artisanal miners from Kogi, Nassarawa, Niger, and Plateau states.
Solidaridad West Africa, is an international civil society organisation promoting sustainable production, food security and robust small and medium enterprises (SME) service delivery in the cocoa, oil palm, cotton, aquaculture, and gold supply chains in West Africa.
