Blantyre (ILO News) - Malawi has made a big stride towards the elimination of Child Labour in the country following the decision by the Employers' Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) to launch the revised the employers' guide and employers' code of conduct on the elimination of child labour during the 3rd Employer of the Year Awards, and Gala Dinner held on 9 December 2022 at Blantyre's Amaryllis Hotel.

The International Labour Organization's ACCEL Africa Project supported 3rd Employer of the Year Awards and Gala Dinner, which was honoured with the participation of the Labour Commissioner, Mr. Hlalerwayo Nyangulu. The event was held under the theme: 'Relevant skills for Business, towards improved competitiveness and productivity' and brought together over 20 private and public companies in major supply chains that include tobacco, coffee, and tea in Malawi.

The Employer of the Year Awards ceremony is an annual event. This year ECAM introduced a new award category on child labour, demonstrating its commitment to employers to improve compliance on child labour issues in the world of work and to encourage best practices amongst employers.

ILLOVO Sugar Limited, a large employer with over 11800 workers, was the winner and named the best Employer for respecting and applying labour laws and international labour standards.

Officiating at the occasion, Mr Nyangulu highlighted that the utilization and implementation of the revised employers' guide and employers' code of conduct on the elimination of child labour in the country have the potential to complement the Government's efforts to eliminate child labour by 2025. Similarly, he stressed that there was a need for all employers to commit to supporting and fostering partnerships through ECAM.

"Malawi is the Pathfinder Country on Child labour. Pathfinder Countries go further and faster to achieve Target 8.7 of the SDGs. In the same line, Malawi has the Malawi Vision 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) and Malawi Decent Work Country Program II," he said. "To achieve these aspirations and goals, we require support from all stakeholders where partnerships and good working relationship with our social partners plays an important role." Mr. Nyangulu has since urged companies to adopt the documents for easy implementation in their workplace. Meanwhile, the ILO Country Office Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique Mr. George Okutho commended ECAM for supporting measures aimed at promoting the elimination of child labour in Malawi by identifying a new category of child labour.

ECAM Executive Director Mr. George Khaki mentioned that there is a need for all employers in the country to comply with local and international labour standards, stating that child labour was a global supply chain concern.

"Child labour poses a threat to the image and business of our employers hence it is in the interest of businesses to ensure that Child Labour is effectively dealt with in order to ensure the supply of skills that businesses will need," Mr. Khaki said. "A lot of schools have been built or upgraded by our member companies”. He highlighted that most of their membership in the [Non-Governmental Organizations] NGOs and private sector also provide scholarships to vulnerable children.

The event was organized with the support of the ACCEL Africa project, which aims to eliminate child labour in the coffee and tea supply chains in Malawi. Other partners implementing the ACCEL Africa Project include the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU), the Tea Association of Malawi (TAML), the Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) and the Impact Centre for Economic Empowerment and Development (ICEED).