Child Rights and Industrialisation in Africa: Children’s Priorities for a Responsible Private Sector (2025)

On 20 November 2025, stakeholders in Côte d’Ivoire came together for a landmark reflection on the role of business in safeguarding children’s rights. The meeting brought together the Government Ministry’s Directorate of Child Protection, Save the Children, the child-led organisation AEJI-CI, and key private-sector actors to examine how business decisions directly shape children’s lives and wellbeing. Business operations directly affect children, shaping their safety, health, learning, and overall protection. From the way companies manage their workplaces to how they impact communities and the environment, children feel the consequences first. Children emphasized the urgent need to be meaningfully included in discussions, decisions, and policy processes related to business practices. They highlighted that they experience the impacts of these decisions directly, whether through their safety, health, education, or environment, and therefore their voices, perspectives, and lived realities must guide how businesses operate. Meaningful child participation ensures policies are more accurate, responsive, and genuinely protective of children’s rights.