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Introduction
Child labor remains an endemic problem in sub-Saharan Africa, with the number of children affected reaching 92.2 million in 2020, a significant increase on the 72.1 million in 2016.
The Nigerian government has taken meaningful steps to prioritize child labor elimination by evaluating its previous National Action Plan (2013-2017) and validating a new one (2021-2025) aligned with the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan. Supporting policies, such as the National Social and Behavioral Change Communication Strategy (2021–2023), the revised National Social Protection Policy, and the National Policy on Occupational Safety and Health (2019), have been instituted. Legal efforts include drafting the Labour Standards Bill and anchoring Community Child Labour Monitoring Committees into local child protection structures. Nigeria has also embraced international commitments by becoming a Pathfinder Country of Alliance 8.7 and ratifying ILO Convention 187.
Research has strengthened the knowledge base on child labor in the cocoa and artisanal and small-scale gold mining sectors, including situational analyses on social protection mechanisms and innovative finance. The private sector’s compliance capacity has improved through training and tools developed by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, such as a Code of Conduct, Guidance Tool, and Reporting Template.
However, child labor prevalence remains alarmingly high, with the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey finding 31% of children aged 5-17 engaged in child labor, 29% in hazardous conditions.
State-level data reveals even higher rates in Niger (42%), Osun (23.2%), and Ondo (8.7%). The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this issue by pushing more children into work.
Gaps persist in the legal framework, notably the absence of a comprehensive Hazardous Work List detailing prohibited activities for children under 18. Poverty (40% nationally), limited access to legal and social protection (only 11% of the population covered), unemployment, underemployment, informality, lack of decent work opportunities, and low wages all contribute to child labor’s prevalence, especially in rural areas.
Sustaining progress requires concerted efforts to address legal gaps, strengthen social protection, promote decent work opportunities, and improve access to essential services. A multipronged approach targeting root causes is crucial for achieving sustainable impact in eliminating child labor in Nigeria. Financial inclusion plays a crucial role in tackling the root causes of child labor by empowering families to escape poverty and achieve economic security. Access to financial services, such as savings accounts, insurance and credit, can help households build assets, invest in their livelihoods and meet their basic needs without resorting to child labor. In addition, the Durban 2022 Call to Action stresses the importance of addressing decent work deficits and income poverty in supply chains to mitigate the risk of child labor.
The latest data (World Bank) on financial inclusion in Nigeria indicates that access to financial services increased from 30% to 45% between 2011 and 2021. But there are still significant challenges, including gender gaps and a heavy reliance on cash payments. In addition, promoting decent work opportunities for adults and young people of legal working age can reduce the pressure on families to resort to child labor.
Nigeria has taken commendable steps to address child labour. However, sustained efforts are needed to achieve lasting impact. Addressing legal framework gaps, expanding social protection, and tackling broader economic challenges are crucial. Continued international collaboration will be vital in supporting Nigeria’s efforts to eliminate child labour and ensure a brighter future for its children. Combating child labor requires a multi-faceted approach that goes beyond monitoring and cleaning up workplaces.
Context:
The second phase of the International Labour Organization (ILO) project Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labor in African Supply Chains (ACCEL Africa 2023-2028) has the overall objective of accelerating the elimination of child labor in Africa through targeted actions in selected supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda. In Nigeria the project will focus on the value chain of cocoa and gold.
Nigeria remains the fourth-largest producer of cocoa beans globally and the fifth-largest exporter. A situational analysis of child labour in cocoa farming communities in Ondo State, conducted during the first phase of the Project, found that 98.5 per cent of children surveyed were engaged in cocoa production activities including hazardous work (ILO 2021).
The mining sector in Nigeria is relatively underdeveloped but provides an important source of livelihoods in the country. A value chain analysis of Nigeria’s AGSM sector, conducted during the first phase of the Project, found that children are extensively used in the various aspects of mining activities, including working as miners, transporters, millers, washers, errand boys, vendors, and operators of bellows in smelting (ILO 2022).
To achieve its objective, the project uses an innovative systems-building approach to tackling child labor that moves away from downstream project-based interventions to strengthen existing systems that are essential for tackling the root causes of child labor. The project aims to achieve three outcomes at sub-national, national, regional and global levels:
Policy, legal and institutional frameworks are improved and implemented to combat child labor in global supply chains;
Innovative, evidence-based solutions that address the root causes of child labor in supply chains are institutionalized; and
Strategies to address the root causes of child labor in global supply chains are scaled up through knowledge sharing, partnerships and funding.
At each level, it will target the root causes of child labor, including access to social protection, decent work for adults, improved livelihoods, the transition from school to decent work for young people, and a safe and healthy working environment.
To kickstart the social finance component of the second phase of the ACCEL project and facilitate the implementation of the social finance intervention model in Nigeria, the project is enlisting the expertise of a social finance consultant.
Work description
Part 1: Launch ACCEL Africa second phase in Nigeria (15 days) from 1/07/2024 to 14/09/2024
Conduct a desk review and key informant interviews to update the labour demand and supply as the root causes for the use of child labour in selected supply chains in Nigeria.
Develop a solid pitch to reach out to pre-identified implementing partners service providers supply chain actors, and confirm their interests to collaborate with ACCEL Africa project to deliver, innovative solutions to lower tires of selected supply chains,
Organize meetings and strategic discussions with implementing partners, to prepare the launch of intervention.
Contribute to the selection of innovative solutions and related implementing partners and propose. A final project structure describing the roles and responsibilities of implementing partners and activities of workplan,
Contribute to the organisation and management of a workshop to launch social finance and livelihoods interventions in Nigeria.
Following the workshop developed terms of reference to open if needed a competitive process to select and contact for free. Identified service providers, including work plan of intervention activities description, timeline and budget.
Together with final selected implementing partners, including NGOs selected for livelihoods components co-developed the final implementation work plan.
Document, best practices of working with service providers and supply chain output, designing innovative solutions and delivery models.
Part 2: Implementation of the Social Finance Intervention Model in Nigeria (35 days) from 15/09/2024 to 30/12/2024
Engage with key stakeholders: Central Bank of Nigeria, Ministry of Finance, Regulators and supervisors, financial services providers and associations and also development partners to develop partnerships.
Co-develop an operational strategy and operational structure of a social finance innovation fund to support the implementation of selected innovative solutions aligned with the national financial inclusion strategy
Co-develop, adapt and implement training modules for regulators, key government bodies and financial services providers on microfinance and child labour.
Support the implementation of livelihood interventions and follow up key deliverables form the implementing partners.
Monitor and evaluate how child labour risk mitigation and prevention strategies are implemented within livelihoods interventions, and evaluate their contributions on child labour elimination.
Develop, a knowledge management plan and capture emerging practices in three knowledge sharing products.
Qualification
Minimum of Master’s degree in related area (preferably economics or finance);
Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in international development or related field;
Good understanding and familiarity with key principles and trends in financial inclusion, financial literacy and education, access to finance, financial consumer protection, credit infrastructure, and/or digital financial services is a must;
Experience in conducting assessment on the Assessment of Financial and Non-Financial Service Providers in Nigeria, is required;
Experience in designing intervention related to child labour and microfinance in Nigeria, is required;
Experience in results measurement / monitoring & evaluation, is required;
Experience in organizing, budgeting, and coordinating meetings and learning events,
including setting up the logistics and managing attendees is desired;
Strong communication skills (in both written and oral English) with a track record of engaging with diverse audiences; additional language fluency is an advantage;
Proven experience using power-point presentations and excel to visually communicate high-level concepts into clear policy communications;
Demonstrated commitment to teamwork and working with multidisciplinary teams, but also ability to self-direct work and deliver high-quality final products independently.
Part 3: Remuneration and Timeframe
The consultant will work for 50 working days running within 1st of July to 30th December 2024. The consultant should send us a proposed workplan, proposal and financial offer for the work. Consultant should provide daily rate required (negotiable in line with available budget).
The Payments will be made in Naira and the instalments will be distributed as follows:
Labour.
In addition, upon signature of the contract, the consultant will receive a lump sum to cover his/her communication and logistic costs. For Trainings, the project will cover related logistic costs and the consultant will only receive DSA (calculated by ILO in accordance with standard rate as provided by the Nigeria Government). Any instalment or final payments will be made at defined milestones or after submission of Technical Reports.
Interested consultants should submit below mentioned documents only by email to the address:onic@ilo.org and eke@ilo.org not later than June 14, 2024, at 6 p.m. (Nigeria time).
• An updated Curriculum Vitae
• An application letter including remuneration requirements (daily rate), communication and logistics cost. Applications not including all the above information will not be reviewed. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Confidentiality: The consultant is required to respect strict confidentiality vis-à-vis third parties, for any information relating to the assignment or collected on its occasion (no reproduction/ dissemination reports or documents is allowed). Failure to comply with this clause will result in immediate termination of the assignment. This strict confidentiality remains the rule, without limitation, after the end of the assignment.
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