Promoting workers’ safety and health across African value chains

Acting at every step of the value chain

Beyond large enterprises, the project adopts an integrated value-chain approach to ensure that occupational safety and health (OSH) standards also apply to suppliers and subcontractors, which are often located in segments characterized by informality, precarious employment, and high exposure to occupational risks.

Two countries, two high-risk sectors

The initiative targets two strategic sectors where risks to workers’ health and safety are particularly high:

• Madagascar – Construction
  The project will intervene upstream of construction sites, particularly in quarries supplying construction materials (granite, limestone, bricks). These predominantly artisanal sites often expose workers to serious physical hazards, harmful dust, and strenuous handling conditions.
• the Republic of the Congo – Forestry
  The forestry sector has the highest rate of occupational accidents in the country, accounting for nearly 45% of reported cases. The project will cover both logging operations and wood processing, with the aim of reducing risks related to machinery, falls, and biological hazards.

Four pillars for sustainable prevention

To achieve measurable and lasting impact, the project is built on four complementary pillars:

1. Field assessments
   Analyze incentives and constraints specific to each value chain in order to design action plans tailored to local realities.
2. Strengthening the OSH policy and legislative framework
   Support governments in ratifying international conventions, particularly Convention No. 187, and in finalizing laws and implementing regulations.
3. Skills and capacity development
   Strengthen the expertise of labour inspectors and social partners to improve advisory services, inspection, and risk prevention within the targeted enterprises.
4. Concrete actions on the ground
   Implement preventive measures directly at workplaces and conduct awareness-raising campaigns among workers and employers.

This project is implemented through the Vision Zero Fund (VZF) as part of the ILO’s flagship Safety + Health for All programme. This global programme provides technical assistance to ILO Member States to promote and realise the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment, with particular attention to high-risk sectors.