Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Protecting the rights of children in the Shea supply chain in West Africa

Pays : Afrique de l’Ouest (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali)

Dates : Start date : 1 July 2021 // End date : 30 June 2025

Identification projet : NL-KVK-27378529-FBK21S04AB

Programme : Fund against Child Labour (FBK)

Présentation
Agriculture is an important sector in West Africa. Smallholder farmers grow staples and commercial crops for their livelihoods. Additionally, there has been interest for non-timber forest products such as the wild growing tree fruits including shea. Shea harvesting is done by women in rural communities. Despite several industry and individual company sustainability initiatives in West Africa to support and empower female shea collectors, and conserve and regenerate the shea parkland, the risk of child labour in the sector remains.

Child labour is considered as a serious issue in the project’s target countries. In Mali, children are engaged in the worst forms of child labour. In Burkina Faso, child labour in artisanal gold mining is particularly acute and often exposes children to dangerous chemicals used in the gold extraction process. There is also a lot of child labour in agriculture, with a reported 250,000 children involved in cotton and in primarily on small family farms productions. In Ghana, the risk of child labour and the agricultural sector is considered very high by the Social Hotspots Database.

The project’s objective is to further reduce and prevent child labour in the shea supply chain, and jointly raise understanding amongst Dutch industry, NGOs and government on child labour issues in the supply chain of shea in West Africa. The project is developed by a consortium led by Cordaid with four Netherlands-based private companies with subsidiaries in West Africa, one sector organization, and one NGO based in Ghana.

The target groups of the project are the members of the cooperatives involved in the shea value chain and children groups.

The envisioned impact of this project is the ultimate prevention and elimination child labour in shea supply chain through local remediation activities and due diligence in the participating companies.

Partenaire (s) : Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Aak Netherlands B.V., Fuji Oil Ghana Ltd., Fuji Europe Africa B.V., Bunge Loders Croklaan Ghana Limited, AAK Mali SARL, AAK Burkina Faso SARL, Bunge Loders Croklaan B.V., Presbytarian Agricultural Services (PAS), Olenex Holdings B.V., Ghana Specialty Fats industries Limited (= Wilmar Ghana), KI Ghana Ltd (= AAK Ghana), Bunge Loders Crocklaan Ghana Limited, Stichting Cordaid

Budget Total : €475,000

Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)