Stakeholders laud Kaduna ginger project for reducing child labour cases, reviving production in Kaduna

Participants at a close-out workshop in Kaduna have commended the child labour eradication project in the ginger value chain, saying it has improved awareness, school attendance and safer farming practices in beneficiary communities.

The workshop was organised by the Christian Rural and Urban Development Association of Nigeria (CRUDAN) and the Fair Labor Association to review the outcomes of the intervention and discuss sustainability measures.

Speaking at the event, CRUDAN Executive Director, Mr Joseph Gyandi, said the project achieved remarkable attitudinal change among community members.

“The most significant achievement has been the change in attitude among community members. Through continuous engagement, they came to understand that the intervention was designed to protect their children from hazardous activities and improve their opportunities, particularly in education,” Gyandi said.

He explained that many families initially believed the project was intended to stop them from passing farming knowledge to their children.

“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,” he added.

Gyandi said the introduction of healthier ginger seedlings had renewed confidence among farmers affected by disease outbreaks.

“The piloting of healthier ginger seedlings has rekindled hope that ginger farming can again become a reliable source of livelihood for many families,” he said.

Programme Manager of the Fair Labor Association, Dr Jean Appia, said awareness of child labour increased significantly during the project.

“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 project also strengthened the capacity of ginger producers in good agricultural practices and trained companies on human rights due diligence.

“The project equipped farmers with skills to better manage challenges such as ginger blight and trained companies on human rights due diligence, making their code of conduct more visible and accessible to community members,” he said.

Appia added that sustainability measures were integrated into the project from the design stage by involving companies, community members and other stakeholders in implementation.

CRUDAN Project Coordinator, Mr Michael Agon, said the intervention recorded significant progress in school retention and labour monitoring.

“The project recorded significant progress in child labour awareness, school retention and economic empowerment among ginger-producing households,” Agon said.

He disclosed that farmers informed about child labour increased from six per cent at baseline in 2023 to 87 per cent at endline in 2026.

“Evidence of workers below the age of 14 on farms dropped to zero, while school enrolment of identified children increased from 38 per cent to 70 per cent,” he added.

Agon further stated that access to financial services through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) increased from 10 per cent at baseline to 51 per cent at endline.

“We will continue to work with community structures and extension services to ensure that the gains recorded under the project are sustained,” he said.

An agricultural extension officer, Mr David Jonathan, said the programme had positively affected ginger production and awareness of child labour issues.

“The training has contributed positively to ginger production and awareness on child labour issues,” Jonathan said.

Chief Executive Officer of Shade of Women Limited, Deborah Apochi, said the project helped communities understand that children should remain in school and only be assigned age-appropriate tasks.

“We will continue promoting child labour-free ginger production through school-based awareness programmes and scholarships for vulnerable children,” she said.

Also speaking, Mrs Ladi Musa from Fai community said the intervention had improved farming practices and ginger yield among beneficiaries.

“The project has helped many of us understand better farming practices, and we have seen improvements in our ginger production,” she said.

She identified ginger disease infection and insecurity as major challenges and urged government to strengthen protection for rural farming communities.

The workshop attracted government officials, agriculture experts, civil society organisations, teachers, security agents and traditional rulers, while discussions also focused on sustaining child labour monitoring and safe labour practices beyond the lifespan of the project.