A joint team of experts from FNV (Federation of Dutch Trade Unions), Global March, and the General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) recently hosted a training workshop in Accra to educate and empower West African stakeholders on risk assessment in the agricultural value chain.

The trainer-of-trainers workshop was designed to strengthen the capacity of participants to enable them to identify and assess local Human Rights Due Diligence (HRRD) risks in the supply chains of internationally operating companies in their (participants’) respective countries.

Additionally, the training intended to provide education on risk assessment report writing which forms the basis for developing action plans to prevent and mitigate risks and ultimately set up a pool of HRDD trainers around the world for the agrifood supply chain, Policy Advisor for FNV, Vivian Vaessen told this reporter.

Miss Vaessen also shared in a document that the programme had targeted training, about 50 risk assessment experts from sourcing countries of the Dutch agrifood sector in Africa, Asia the Middle East, and Latin America. After the scheduled training workshops, “these participants are expected to become part of a risk assessment tool”, the document revealed.

Participants who are also experts in the industry in their respective countries were introduced to some international frameworks including HRDD in agrifood supply chains; equipping them with a strong understanding and applicable knowledge of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines for multinational enterprises on responsible business conduct focusing on issues bordering on human and labor rights as well the environment.

Participants who represented about nine countries in West Africa were grouped in teams applying the education they had received to real-life risk assessment situations in the agri-food sector.

Suffice it to say, the programme was a success as the participants themselves had great reviews. The Project Officer of SEND Ghana, Nana Kwasi Barning Ackah had a lot to say. “I have learned how to conduct a risk assessment taking note of the relevance of stakeholders in the value chain of the various risks at each stage and how to address them.

Yessoufou Latifou of CNV International said he appreciated that the learning was organized on the basis of a case study and in a very friendly atmosphere.

Impact of the training

“Before the training, the focus of our organization was centered on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) but from the training, we have understood the need to shift the concentration to Human Rights Due Diligence which is more holistic”. Mr. Christian M. Houngbo, Project Manager and Gender Focal Point for CNV International Programmes in Africa (Cotonou) told this reporter.

He said the lessons from the workshop had necessitated a rethink of his organization’s approach to ways to build capacity with partners and redirect their collective energies to more constructive and holistic methods in preventing and resolving risk-related issues in the agrifood value chain in Benin.

He further hinted at a move to implement the due diligence approach in place of CSR in 2023. “So, our approach now to increasing partner capacity is centered on due diligence. We have had internal meetings and have decided to implement the HRDD approach in 2023 for all our partners across Africa”.

Mr. Houngbo said their CSR approach in the value chain was constrictive but was certain that the HRDD would be more helpful as they had plans to build a coalition with non-governmental organizations (NGO) to integrate more on human rights rather than just labor rights.

Andre Mere-Bara Togo, Regional Secretary for the Salvation Army, Mali and Burkina Faso also said “the training was very relevant to my work and also my personal experiences” adding that the trainers were enthusiastic as well as pragmatic.