TheCable

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it has signed an agreement with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to campaign against child labour in Nigeria.

Paul Odenyi, NOA assistant director of press, in a statement on Wednesday, said the agreement was signed by Garba Abari, director-general of NOA, and Venessa Phala, director of ILO, in Abuja.

The partnership, according to NOA, will cover the implementation of the national social behavioural and communication change strategy under the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in supply chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa) — a project funded by the Dutch government.

The ACCEL Africa project in Nigeria covers three states — Osun, Ondo and Niger — and focuses on ending child labour in the artisanal gold mining and cocoa farming sectors in Nigeria.

Speaking while signing the agreement, Abari appealed to ILO to implement a grassroots programme that will create awareness among stakeholders and improve people’s attitudes toward addressing child labour in targeted communities.

He said NOA will mobilise its grassroots structures to the 36 states and 774 LGAs in Nigeria to educate citizens on the effect of child labour and its impact on children, communities and the country’s economy.

He added that the agreement will “implement the national behavioural and communication strategy in these local communities as part of their culture and orientation process”.

Other parts of the agreement focus on the need to “ainstream public awareness programmes on child labour as part of the general public enlightenment schedule of the agency” and “implement specific programmes jointly designed by both the NOA and Accel Africa that will lead to the reduction of child labour issues in Nigeria”.

Meanwhile, Phala, ILO director, said the agreement will “support the institutional capacity of the NOA’s Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers (COMOs) and other relevant officers to implement programmes aimed at creating awareness among communities”.