A joint ILO and Japanese government initiative has been launched to advance climate resilience, improved workplace safety and circular production practices across Ethiopia's leather, textile and garment sector. Targeting 40 factories across five cities, the one-year programme combines enterprise-level capacity building with national policy support, introducing digitalised occupational safety tools, Japanese manufacturing expertise and women's leadership development to drive inclusive and sustainable industrial transformation.
- The programme covers factories in Hawassa, Addis Ababa, Adama, Dukem and Kombolcha, delivering targeted support through SCORE Training integrated with Kaizen-based continuous improvement approaches.
- Digitalised occupational safety and health tools will enable factories to monitor heat stress, ventilation and other climate-related risks in real time, strengthening compliance systems across participating enterprises.
- At the national level, the initiative will support tripartite dialogue among government, employers and workers to map responsible business conduct initiatives, identify policy gaps and build consensus on sector priorities.
- The programme runs from 15 March 2026 to 14 March 2027, implemented under the ONE ILO Siraye Programme with support from the Government of Japan.
THE BACKSTORY: Japan's government is backing the ILO's drive to promote a more socially responsible, productive and environmentally sound leather, textile and garment sector in Ethiopia through a structured programme combining enterprise transformation with national policy reform. The initiative responds to the sector's exposure to climate risks, occupational safety and health challenges, evolving market demands and sustainability standards, while addressing the need for more inclusive industrial growth across Ethiopia.
- The initiative targets Ethiopia's leather, textile and garment sector, pairing factory-level capacity development with broader policy support across the manufacturing landscape.
- The ONE ILO Siraye Programme provides the implementing framework, integrating Japanese expertise and ILO technical cooperation to deliver context-specific industrial solutions.
- Over its one-year duration, the programme will deliver targeted support to enterprises and institutions, generating practical evidence and lessons to inform future scaling efforts.
INSIDE THE PROGRAMME: At the enterprise level, the initiative will strengthen capacity across 40 factories through structured training and continuous improvement methodologies. Participating enterprises will adopt more resource-efficient and circular production practices, reduce waste and energy consumption, and optimise workflows. The project will also pilot digitalised occupational safety and health tools and roll out the Women's Leadership Development Programme alongside the integration of Japanese expertise and technologies.
- SCORE Training, combined with Kaizen-based methods, will help factories cut material waste, lower energy use and streamline operations, embedding continuous improvement principles across production floors.
- Piloted across participating factories, digitalised OSH tools will enable real-time monitoring of workplace environmental conditions, supporting stronger compliance systems and safer working environments.
- The WLDP will train women workers to take on supervisory roles, building the capabilities needed to contribute to more inclusive workplaces across the sector.
- Japanese expertise in energy efficiency, cleaner production and sustainable manufacturing systems will be introduced through structured knowledge exchange and technical cooperation, delivering practical, context-specific solutions tailored to Ethiopia's industrial landscape.
BEYOND THE FACTORY: At the national level, the initiative will reinforce systems that enable and sustain enterprise transformation across Ethiopia's industrial sector. Tripartite dialogue among government, employers and workers will assess the landscape of existing conduct and compliance frameworks, surface areas requiring legislative attention and build consensus on sector priorities, with evidence from climate risk, occupational safety and circularity assessments informing more coherent policy frameworks.
- Evidence generated through assessments on climate risk, occupational safety and health, and circularity will inform policy frameworks aligned with Ethiopia's climate commitments and Nationally Determined Contributions.
- Consensus built through government, employer and worker collaboration will help prioritise sector-wide actions, strengthening the policy environment needed to sustain factory-level gains beyond the programme period.
- Outputs and insights from the one-year programme will underpin efforts to expand the initiative's reach and support Ethiopia's broader transition toward greener and more equitable industrial development.
