ACCEL Africa interview series on the importance of knowledge sharing

At the Knowledge Sharing Forum: Innovative Solutions to Reduce Child Labour and Forced Labour in Africa, we engaged with key stakeholders to learn about their ongoing efforts to tackle child labour in their countries. They shared powerful insights into why exchanging solutions among Global South nations is crucial for driving sustainable change and building collective momentum in the fight against child labour.

Empowering communities to eliminate child labour

Through the ACCEL Africa project, we have empowered local communities to recognize and address child labour while emphasizing the importance of education. As a result, many children who were previously out of school have now returned to classrooms, while others of working age have acquired vocational skills and established small businesses, reducing child labour in our intervention areas. Community structures such as child labour monitoring committees, youth leaders, and religious leaders play a vital role in ensuring children remain in school and in fostering a ripple effect toward child-labour-free communities.

Participation in knowledge-sharing events has allowed us to learn from the successful practices of other countries, inspiring us to adapt and implement similar strategies in our own context. This underscores the need for robust partnerships and collaboration across borders to create a unified, sustainable approach to eradicating child labour globally.

Sharing experiences, aligning policies, and innovating together

In Malawi, efforts to combat child labour, forced labour, and trafficking span national, subnational, and community levels. Policies are being developed and implemented to address these issues holistically, while partnerships with key stakeholders are fostering stronger coordination. Recognizing the interconnected nature of child labour and trafficking, this initiative highlights the critical importance of collaboration among African nations.

In this video, we hear a powerful call for unity: for African countries facing similar challenges to share their experiences, align their policies, and innovate together. By building a collective response, these partnerships aim to create impactful, sustainable solutions that protect children and build a brighter future across the continent.

Harnessing community power to combat child labour

Communities are at the heart of the fight against child labour, driving solutions, energy, and action on the ground. Our approach focuses on empowering them through socio-economic development and financial inclusion initiatives. By creating and supporting Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), we help men, women, and youth leverage their resources, invest in sustainable livelihoods, and foster financial innovation to strengthen their resilience.

Equally critical is shifting mindsets—raising awareness about the detrimental impacts of child labour and highlighting the transformative value of education. Africa’s shared challenges create unique opportunities for collaboration, replication, and scaling up successful strategies across countries. By learning from each other’s experiences and embracing practical, community-led solutions, we can build a united front to eliminate child labour and achieve lasting change.

Collaborating in Africa’s tea industry

The Tea Association of Malawi is working closely with the National Smallholder Tea Growers Association to combat child labour, forced labour, and gender inequality within the tea supply chain. By engaging smallholder farmers and fostering collaboration, the association is committed to creating sustainable, ethical practices that protect vulnerable populations.

In this video, the association underscores the importance of regional networks and shared learning among African countries. By exchanging best practices, sharing data, and conducting research, they aim to amplify their efforts to eliminate child labour and forced labour. With a shared hope and belief that everything starts with us, they emphasize the power of collective action to create a brighter future and give hope to our children.

Stakeholder engagement strategies to combat child labour and forced labour

Through community entry strategies and engaging with key stakeholders such as chiefs and local leaders, we have successfully raised awareness about child labour and forced labour at the grassroots level. Our interventions, including bridge schooling for children who have dropped out, have helped re-integrate them into the education system, enabling them to complete their schooling. During cooperative meetings and public announcements on market days, information about child labour and its consequences is shared via loudspeakers, reaching a broader audience.

At a policy level, we are set to implement a new policy aimed at removing child and forced labour from the system altogether. The knowledge-sharing platform has been instrumental in gathering innovative ideas, diverse experiences, and fostering collaboration among partners. These insights are brought back to our countries to be scaled up, ensuring that effective strategies are adapted and implemented widely to reduce child and forced labour across the continent.

Fostering partnerships to tackle child labour across Africa

Building strong partnerships across countries is essential to eliminating child labour and forced labour in Africa. Many nations have developed innovative practices that have proven successful, yet these are not always widely shared. By learning from both the successes and challenges of others, we can avoid duplicating efforts and instead focus our resources on scaling up proven strategies to achieve greater impact.

Addressing the root causes of child labour—poverty, lack of social protection, inadequate access to education, and limited livelihoods—is crucial. Poverty, in particular, remains a significant driver, requiring targeted investments and coordinated action. Through collaboration among diverse stakeholders, we can develop comprehensive solutions that empower communities, ensure children’s rights, and build a stronger, unified response to child labour across the continent.