A pilot that helps suppliers in Africa pay their workers fairly
Every worker has the right to be paid enough to afford a decent standard of living for them and their family.
But the reality is, many workers don’t get this and still can’t pay for their basic needs and escape poverty. This pilot project addresses these issues in Africa. It’s promoting better assessment of fair wage payment for six participating suppliers.
Location:
AfricaDuration:
12 monthsPartner(s):
Partner Africa
Why the project is needed
Awareness around paying living wages is growing. The most unjust aspect of low pay and income inequality is that it takes advantage of workers. But failing to pay a living wage can have negative effects on businesses too. Low pay means lower productivity levels, high labour turnover and risk of labour unrest. And when chronically low payment is exposed, it can do serious reputational damage.
About the project
The Living wage pilot project was run by our Africa Hub and facilitated by Partner Africa. Six suppliers across Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa took part. The project helps them improve their assessment of living wage payment, meet the growing demands for fair payment, and follow the IDH Roadmap for Living Wages.
Objectives
- Engage Africa Hub members’ suppliers on the issue of living wage.
- Gain an understanding of living wage gaps for workers across supply chains of hub members.
- Identify trends and patterns of the participants suppliers’ living wage journeys.
- Understand the relevance and usefulness of the IDH living wage gap methodology and salary matrix for hub members’ suppliers.
- Identify recommendations for suppliers to get closer to the living wage benchmark and closing living wage gaps, including how to develop ongoing engagement with rightsholders on this issue.
- Provide recommendations for hub members on how to engage with their suppliers on the topic of living wage.
- Share findings and learnings across the hub and wider AIM-Progress membership through a report and peer groups.
- Measure changes in living wage gaps of the participating suppliers between 2022 and 2023.
A report, Living Wages In Africa: Learnings from the AIM-Progress Africa Hub Pilot Project On Living Wages, which summarises findings has been made publicly available.