Stakeholders have called for stronger community participation and sustained government support to consolidate the gains recorded under a child labour eradication programme implemented in ginger-producing communities in Kaduna State.
The appeal was made on Wednesday during the Project Close-Out Brainstorming Workshop on the Eradication of Child Labour and Unfavourable Working Conditions of Children in Ginger Production, organised by CRUDAN in collaboration with the Fair Labour Association (FLA) in Kaduna.
Speaking at the workshop, Executive Director of CRUDAN, Joseph Gyandi, said the project’s success was largely due to the acceptance and ownership demonstrated by beneficiary communities after initial misconceptions about its objectives were addressed.
He explained that many families initially believed the intervention was intended to prevent them from passing farming knowledge and traditions to younger generations.
“People thought we wanted to deprive them of practices inherited from their forefathers, but when they understood that the focus was on protecting children from hazardous work, they embraced the initiative wholeheartedly,” Gyandi said.
He added that the project also helped restore confidence in ginger farming through the introduction of healthier and improved ginger seedlings, contributing to increased productivity and renewed interest in the crop.
The Programme Manager of the Fair Labour Association, Jean Appia, disclosed that awareness of child labour issues increased dramatically during the implementation period.
According to him, awareness among respondents rose from about 2 per cent at the beginning of the project to approximately 87 per cent at its conclusion.
“At the beginning of the project, only about two per cent of respondents were aware of what constitutes child labour, but by the end of the project, awareness had risen to around 87 per cent,” Appia said.
He noted that the initiative also strengthened farmers’ capacity to adopt good agricultural practices while equipping agribusiness companies with knowledge of human rights due diligence and responsible labour practices.
Appia explained that sustainability measures were incorporated into the programme from the outset through the active participation of companies, community members and other stakeholders.
Providing further insights, CRUDAN Project Coordinator, Michael Agon, said official records showed significant improvements in school enrolment and labour monitoring systems across participating communities.
He revealed that the proportion of farmers with knowledge of child labour issues increased from 6 per cent at the baseline assessment in 2023 to 87 per cent during the endline evaluation in 2026.
Agon also disclosed that the number of farm workers below the age of 14 years had been reduced to zero, while school enrolment among identified children increased from 38 per cent to 70 per cent during the project period.
He further noted that access to financial services through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) improved substantially, rising from 10 per cent at baseline to 51 per cent by the end of the intervention.
An agricultural extension officer for the Southern Kaduna Zone, David Jonathan, described the project as highly impactful, saying it had delivered tangible benefits to farming communities.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of Shade of Women Ltd., Deborah Apochi, said the programme helped parents better understand the importance of keeping children in school while ensuring that any involvement in farming activities remained safe and age-appropriate.
Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, a farmer from Fai community, Ladi Musa, commended CRUDAN and its partners for successfully implementing the initiative.
She, however, appealed to the government to strengthen efforts to improve security in rural communities and address the persistent outbreak of ginger diseases, which continue to threaten production and the livelihoods of farmers across the state.
