The ILO Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work project validates Sector Systems Analysis (SSA) report and interventions for implementation
The ILO Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work project gears up to support micro-, meso- and macro-level interventions in the Ghanaian textiles and garments value chain to promote productivity and decent work
The Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work project in Ghana conducted a Sector Systems Analysis (SSA) for textiles and garments value chain to identify constraints contributing to underperformance, and possible interventions to improve productivity, job creation and working conditions of operators in the subsector. The validation workshop, which took place on 6 December 2022 in Accra, shared the report of the SSA to collectively prioritize interventions for improvement along the value chain. In attendance were stakeholders from the textiles and garment industry comprising SMEs, development partners, departments, agencies, and policy makers.
In his remarks, Mr. Kwasi Antwi, Team Lead of Anchor Industries at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), indicated that the ILO had been consulting actively to secure the buy-in of the Ministry.
Mr. Kwasi Antwi - Team Lead of Anchor Industries at the Ministry of Trade and Industry
He added that, following these consultations, the ILO was set to support the policies and programmes that are on the agenda of the Ministry, and hoped that the collaboration with the ILO would be fruitful. Ms. Gloria Noi, Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) emphasized on the importance of the project in addressing productivity gaps and linking productivity to better working conditions. She commended the ILO for pursuing this transformative agenda. The Project Manager of the Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work in Ghana, Mr. David Marcos described the background of the project and outlined the objectives and expected outcomes. He highlighted the project’s focus on creating more decent jobs and better income opportunities through micro-, meso- and macro-level interventions that would improve private sector productivity. This would be achieved through identifying and addressing the root causes of low productivity and underperformance in an integrated manner across firm, sector and national levels.
The SSA report of the textiles and garments value chain was developed using 35 key informant interviews and 4 focus group discussions with workers and employer groups. In addition, relevant secondary data was also reviewed. Respondents for the SSA included actors from a different backgrounds including public institutions, development agencies, trade unions, and businesses. The author of the SSA report, Ms. Justina Onuma presented a comprehensive report on constraints at firm, sector, and policy levels. At the firm level, some of the issues that affected productivity were inconsistent orders, inconsistent quality, speed to market, commitment, and ethos. At the sector level, the issues included current economic downturn and its impact on ethical sourcing, recent shocks to global supply chains forcing buyers to look at diversifying their supply chains, and working conditions. At the macro level, the completion and implementation of the Textiles and Garments National Policy was emphasized.
The co-author of the report, Mr. Richard Waddington shed light on policy, sector, and firm level interventions. Policy-level interventions include targeted support to MoTI and MLER to establish productivity growth database and integrate decent work into the industrialization agenda, as well as to Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) to optimize Business Resource Centers and promote formalization. At the sector-level, proposed interventions promote social dialogue in sector associations to advance decent work and better working conditions. At the firm level, the recommendations include developing practical in-factory trainings in partnership with firms and training providers to strengthen production skills, building on SCORE Training and other existing support.
A section of stakeholders in a group work at the workshop
Participants were given the opportunity to provide inputs into the report and also prescribe additional interventions relevant to addressing their needs and transforming the subsector. Many useful suggestions were added to the report.
The Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work was launched by the ILO in 2021, with operations in Ghana, South Africa and Vietnam. It is funded by the Governments of Switzerland and Norway, and seeks to promote productivity growth for decent work through combining different approaches that strengthen productivity drivers across policy, sector and enterprise levels. The programme is also in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.2, which encourages member states to pursue higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labor-intensive sectors.
In his remarks, Mr. Kwasi Antwi, Team Lead of Anchor Industries at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), indicated that the ILO had been consulting actively to secure the buy-in of the Ministry.
Mr. Kwasi Antwi - Team Lead of Anchor Industries at the Ministry of Trade and IndustryHe added that, following these consultations, the ILO was set to support the policies and programmes that are on the agenda of the Ministry, and hoped that the collaboration with the ILO would be fruitful. Ms. Gloria Noi, Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) emphasized on the importance of the project in addressing productivity gaps and linking productivity to better working conditions. She commended the ILO for pursuing this transformative agenda. The Project Manager of the Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work in Ghana, Mr. David Marcos described the background of the project and outlined the objectives and expected outcomes. He highlighted the project’s focus on creating more decent jobs and better income opportunities through micro-, meso- and macro-level interventions that would improve private sector productivity. This would be achieved through identifying and addressing the root causes of low productivity and underperformance in an integrated manner across firm, sector and national levels.
The SSA report of the textiles and garments value chain was developed using 35 key informant interviews and 4 focus group discussions with workers and employer groups. In addition, relevant secondary data was also reviewed. Respondents for the SSA included actors from a different backgrounds including public institutions, development agencies, trade unions, and businesses. The author of the SSA report, Ms. Justina Onuma presented a comprehensive report on constraints at firm, sector, and policy levels. At the firm level, some of the issues that affected productivity were inconsistent orders, inconsistent quality, speed to market, commitment, and ethos. At the sector level, the issues included current economic downturn and its impact on ethical sourcing, recent shocks to global supply chains forcing buyers to look at diversifying their supply chains, and working conditions. At the macro level, the completion and implementation of the Textiles and Garments National Policy was emphasized.
The co-author of the report, Mr. Richard Waddington shed light on policy, sector, and firm level interventions. Policy-level interventions include targeted support to MoTI and MLER to establish productivity growth database and integrate decent work into the industrialization agenda, as well as to Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) to optimize Business Resource Centers and promote formalization. At the sector-level, proposed interventions promote social dialogue in sector associations to advance decent work and better working conditions. At the firm level, the recommendations include developing practical in-factory trainings in partnership with firms and training providers to strengthen production skills, building on SCORE Training and other existing support.
A section of stakeholders in a group work at the workshopParticipants were given the opportunity to provide inputs into the report and also prescribe additional interventions relevant to addressing their needs and transforming the subsector. Many useful suggestions were added to the report.
The Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work was launched by the ILO in 2021, with operations in Ghana, South Africa and Vietnam. It is funded by the Governments of Switzerland and Norway, and seeks to promote productivity growth for decent work through combining different approaches that strengthen productivity drivers across policy, sector and enterprise levels. The programme is also in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.2, which encourages member states to pursue higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labor-intensive sectors.