Story by, Nsor Paul Mensah
In a move to better understand the impact of Ghana's agricultural sector on job creation and working conditions, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has launched the Jobs Agri project, a pilot intervention in the country.
The project aims to collect valuable data that will inform future policy decisions around promoting decent work in the agricultural industry.
Vanessa Phala, the ILO Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, explained that the project is a multi-stakeholder effort, involving collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ministry of Employment, Labor Relations and Pensions, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and other key partners.
"This is a very important intervention for the ILO," said Phala. "It will allow us to collect critical data that will inform future policy interventions to ensure the creation of decent jobs, not just any jobs, in the agricultural sector."
The project will examine various agricultural value chains to understand the working conditions, income levels and overall labor dynamics in the sector. Palla emphasized that the Decent Work Agenda is a core part of the ILO's mandate, and this project aims to shed light on whether jobs in Ghana's agricultural industry meet the criteria for decent work.
As the "food basket" of Ghana's economy, Palla noted that it is crucial to collect the necessary data to guide future steps in strengthening the agricultural sector and creating quality employment opportunities. The project has already inaugurated a multi-stakeholder forum to facilitate collaboration among the diverse partners involved.
With this pilot intervention, the ILO hopes to not only improve understanding of the agricultural labor market in Ghana, but also inspire similar data collection efforts in other countries to promote decent work in the vital agricultural industry.