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Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said that promotion of decent work practices and responsible business conduct will help strengthen economic integration and facilitate trade liberalization across the African continent.
In her speech at the National Dialogue organized by the federal government in Abuja on Tuesday with the technical support of the ILO and financial support from the Government of France under the France–ILO Agreement, Country Director of ILO Vanessa Phala said it is essential that businesses adopt practices that respect social and environmental standards to foster inclusive growth.
The ILO Country Director said that promotion of sustainable and responsible investment and business practices will play a fundamental role in strategic initiatives such as Agenda 2063 to ensure that growth benefits all people and contributes to reducing inequalities.
She said that the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration) is a key international reference framework to drive collective action.
Phala said the dialogue came at a critical moment when as Africa’s largest economy and a key regional hub, Nigeria is striving to strengthen its competitiveness, attract responsible investment, and ensure that economic growth translates into decent jobs, social inclusion, and sustainable enterprises.
“Nigeria’s Agenda 2050 aims to build a resilient, private-sector-led economy, reduce reliance on oil, and promote green, inclusive development.
Phala said the dialogue will explore recent developments and emerging trends in responsible business conduct and how the MNE Declaration can guide concrete action in advancing responsible business practices for the realization of decent work.
Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Salihu Usman who declared the Dialogue Session open, urged multinational companies operating in the country to ensure they comply with decent work principles in keeping with the convention of the ILO.
He said the Nigerian economy is currently undergoing a critical transformation, adding that, “while globalization and foreign direct investments have created new opportunities, the country is equally confronted with persistent labour market vulnerabilities: informality, unsafe work conditions, skills mismatch, and gender inequalities”.
He said that Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), as major employers and economic influencers, are uniquely positioned to set high standards
“We therefore encourage multinational enterprises to internalise the principles of the MNE Declaration and work with national actors to ensure respect for labour rights, fair wages, gender equity, and environmental sustainability,” he said.
While acknowledging the challenges facing decent work in Nigeria, Director General of the Nigeria- Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA), Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said the informal sector is yet to embrace the principles of decent work as stipulated in the ILO convention.
Oyerinde said that informal sector, which employs over 80 percent of Nigeria’s workforce, has remained largely excluded from social protection and decent working conditions.
In his speech, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, said the issue of decent work in Nigeria has been largely on paper rather than concrete actions.
Ajaero, represented by the Head of Information and Public Relations, Benson Upah, said: “We are here today to say: enough. Enough to the empty pledges. Enough to the double standards. Enough to the idea that Nigeria and its workers deserve anything less than the same dignity and respect afforded to workers anywhere else in the world.
“We must hold every corporation operating in Nigeria especially the MNEs to the same standard that governs their operations in their countries of origin. “
On its part, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) urged all actors in the business ecosystem to recognize that decent work is not a cos but an investment.
The General Secretary of TUC, Comrade Nuhu Toro who represented his president, Festus Osifo, said that decent work should considered as an investment in human dignity, in productivity, in enterprise sustainability.
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