Singapore recently hosted close to 3500 experts in the field of occupational health and safety from all over the world. This was for the XXI World Congress on Occupational Health and Safety with the Motto, A global vision for prevention. The three-day event was from the 3rd to 6th of September 2017.

The Prime Minister of Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong' who graced the occasion welcomed participants and shared the vision that his state was working hard to attaining. Mr Guy Rider of the International Labour Organization in his speech mentioned that 2.78million workers continue to die from work related illnesses and the larger proportion of these figures are from developing economies.

The congress also hosted concurrently, young worker health and safety advocates from all over the world to launch the Safe Youth at Work program. These participants presented various innovative ways in which the messages of ensuring that young people are protected at work are making impacts in their various countries.

Over the three day period, various speakers from the continents shared their contributions to ensuring worker health and safety. Ghana was not left out of the contribution as Ms Emily Akumah, a Health and Safety Professional, residing in Accra shared the work her organization was doing in the informal sector in mostly farming communities to enhance this global agenda of prevention.

She highlighted on the need for African countries to liaise together to solve problems that are common to them. She also mentioned the need for governmental agencies to work closely with the private sector to ensure a fair balance in interventions at the national level.