The International Labour Organization (ILO) opens a new on-site workplace childcare facility at the Kaliti Food Share Company (CEREALIA)in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 28 October 2025, on the eve of the UN International Day of Care and Support. The facility is the result of a strong public-private partnership involving the ILO, the Ministry of Industry, CEREALIA and Partnership for Change (PfC). It was established under the ILO's ProAgro Ethiopia project and the Promoting Workers' Rights and Gender Equality at Work in Africa-Phase II Project with the support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).Speaking at the inauguration, Khumbula Ndaba, Country Director for the ILO Country Office for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and Special Representative to the AU and ECA, urged the private sector to prioritize the well-being of its workforce, especially women.
© ILO/Zelalem Alemenew Desta
Speaking at the inauguration, Khumbula Ndaba, Country Director for the ILO Country Office for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and Special Representative to the AU and ECA, urged the private sector to prioritize the well-being of its workforce, especially women.
"For working parents, especially mothers, care at work means reduced stress, the profound peace of mind that comes from knowing their children are safe and nurtured nearby, and a genuine chance to balance family responsibilities with professional ambitions," Ndaba stated. He added, "Today, we are not just opening a room with toys; we are activating a powerful engine for social justice and gender equality."
© ILO/Zelalem Alemenew Desta
The sentiment was echoed by Dawit Moges (Ph.D), First Vice President of Confederation of Ethiopian Employers Association (CEEA), who emphasized, "Care at work is not a cost, it is an investment in productivity". Underscoring the mutual benefit of the facility, Dawit stated, "When we care for the people who work for us, they care for the work that sustain us".
Dawit Tamrat, CEO of Cerealia, pledged maximum ownership of the facility and expressed motivation to showcase it for replication in other industries along their supply chains. The facility's implementation was supported by PfC, an NGO that underscores the importance of access to quality childcare and early childhood care and education (ECCE) for advancing gender equality. Through this collaboration, PfC is now bringing its expertise into the private sector.
Anthony Agyenta, Project Manager, ILO ProAgro Ethiopia, stated, "The initiative responds to a critical need in Ethiopia's agro-processing sector, where women represent nearly 65% of the workforce. Many have been compelled to accept part-time or temporary employment due to the lack of accessible childcare".
Anthony added, "By providing a safe and nurturing environment for children, the new facility enables women to return to full-time work, reduces absenteeism, improves staff retention, and boosts overall productivity".
This initiative reflects the ILO's ongoing commitment to link care and gender equality with enterprise development. The CEREALIA's daycare stands as a model of good practice, reinforcing the ILO's support for integrating care-responsive workplace policies into collective agreements and enterprise operations.
About the projects
The LO ProAgro Project, funded by the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation of Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), aims to promote job creation, labour formalization, and enterprise development in Ethiopia's agricultural and agro-processing sectors. As part of its interventions, the project has been implementing the ILO Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) program in collaboration with its implementing partner, the Kaizen Excellence Center for the last two years. Through this initiative, 60 agro-processing companies including CERALIA and have enhanced their productivity, workplace standardization, cooperation, and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practices. The ILO ProAgro and the Workers' Right and Gender Equality at work project jointly support the establishment of the childcare center at workplace at CERALIA.
The ILO project, Promoting Workers' Rights and Gender Equality at Work in Africa-Phase II, is funded by NORAD to enhance workers' rights and gender equality in Ethiopia, focusing Focused on Ethiopia's garment, agriculture, and domestic work sectors. A key objective of the project is to enhance gender equality at work by building the capacities of ILO constituents to promote workers' rights, particularly for those with family responsibilities, through improved maternity protection, paternity and parental leave, and childcare solutions. The project also delivers awareness-raising sessions to strengthen understanding of Equality at Work initiatives at both local and national levels on relevant gender-related International Labour Standards.
