By: Edwin Bett, Regional Coordinator for HomeNet Africa

HomeNet Kenya, with support from WIEGO under the program “Building African Workers’ Power in the Digital Age,” held a one-day workshop on 27 November 2025 on two key areas related to the ILO Home Work Convention 177 (1996), with additional discussions under each topic.
The What, Why and How of ILO Convention 177 on Home Work (1996) and Why It Should Be Ratified was discussed, focusing on the following:

  • Convention 177 and its relation to homeworkers and homework: who are they
  • The characteristics of home-based workers and their work
  • The types of work home-based workers, including homeworkers, engage in
  • The estimated number of home-based workers
  • Why home-based workers matter
  • The salient features of Convention 177 on homework
  • Why a member state should ratify Convention 177 and what it means for governments, homeworkers and employers
  • The stakeholders involved in the ratification process

Steps Towards Ratification of Convention 177 (1996) included discussions on:

  • Understanding HBWs and data capture for policy work
  • The current status of the HomeWorkers Convention C177 (1996) ratification
  • The linkages between C177 and the African Union Protocol on Social Protection and Social Security, and the road map for possible ratification of both the convention and the AU Protocol by the Government of Kenya

The workshop was facilitated by the Regional Coordinator of HomeNet Africa, the Programs Manager of the African Platform for Social Protection and the Assistant Director, State Department of Social Protection, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.