The process of developing the safety and health regulations in agriculture commenced with an all stakeholders’ consultative workshop that was held at the Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe from March 24 to 25, 2025. Additional workshops are scheduled for Mzuzu and Blantyre during the periods 27 to 28 March and 16 to 17 April, respectively.
In her opening remarks, Patricia Zimpita, the Director of Planning in the Ministry of Labour, urged stakeholders to actively participate in the development of regulations that address safety and health concerns in the agricultural sector. “This engagement is crucial to ensure alignment of safety and health management practices in the agricultural sector with international labour standards.
Agriculture is the mainstay of Malawi’s economy, employing over 80 percent of the working population. However, it is also linked to a significant number of occupational safety and health risks due to poor working conditions prevalent in many agricultural activities. Zimpita emphasized the importance of protecting the agricultural workforce from various work-related hazards through policy and regulatory interventions .
In 2019 Malawi ratified key International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Conventions that , include Convention 155 on Occupational Safety and Health, Convention 187 on the promotional framework for OSH and Convention 184 on Safety and Health in Agriculture. This initiative represents a step in the right direction towards implementing the provisions of these ratified conventions.
According to the ILO, member states that ratify conventions are required to establish a national framework to implement the terms of the agreements. In an interview with journalists, Johanes Mandowa, the OSH expert for the EU Funded Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme, explained that this initiative to develop a safety and health in agriculture is a culmination of a baseline assessment of occupational safety and health in agriculture that was conducted by Ministry of Labour that revealed various OSH risks .“The assessment highlighted several common OSH hazards, that include engineering, non-mechanical, physical, ergonomic, biological, psychosocial, chemical and environmental hazards. Unfortunately, the current OSH and Welfare Act does not adequately address the hazards and risks that are specific to some agricultural operations.” Noted Mandowa.
“This gap informs the need for Malawi to establish safety and health legislation specifically targeting the agricultural sector to ensure comprehensive coverage of hazards and risks that lead to significant human suffering.” He concluded.
Once finalized, the regulation is expected to serve as a foundation for addressing the enforcement and compliance challenges within Malawi’s agricultural sector, stemming from existing gaps in the OSH policy and legislative framework
The Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme, funded by the European Union, supports Malawi’s Ministry of Labour by offering technical and financial assistance to enhance the business environment for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and strengthening of labour laws for the attainment of decent jobs and sustainable economic development.
