He sees a direct link between the Vision Zero Fund project and the country’s efforts to ratify new conventions on occupational safety and health.
“I have always wanted to help people, work on a global scale, and be a guardian of the law.”
Jerson Razafimanantsoa was born in the spring of 1974 in Mananjary, a city in Vatovavy, Madagascar. The town lies on the southeastern coast of the country, a place where locals make their living by fishing or producing crops like coffee, vanilla, and pepper.
He arrived in Fianarantsoa, a four hour’s drive inland, in 1990 to study law. Fianarantsoa means “good education” in Malagasy; the city is the island’s cultural and intellectual center.
Jerson’s dream was to work for the government. After graduation, he entered the national administration school, where he earned his license to become a labour inspector. In that role, he was in charge of applying the laws to promote decent work in Madagascar.
After serving his country for 15 years, he moved up in the ranks to become a head of service, then Regional Director. Since April 2019, he has held the position of Director General in the Ministry of Labour.
After COVID-19 hit, his daily activities doubled. He began shouldering more responsibilities and gained new ones. According to Jerson, everyone in the ministry was and continues to be dedicated to overcoming challenges related to the pandemic. But it hasn’t been easy. Madagascar was one of the hardest hit countries on the continent, battling a wave of infections and the socio-economic downturn that followed.
Jerson’s days start around 5 a.m. and end around 7 p.m. But, since work-from-home became the norm in 2020, he is still aiming to strike a balance between his personal and professional life. He sometimes receives work-related calls as late as midnight.
“All this time, I’m just thinking about how I can make progress and overcome the COVID-19 challenges. Sometimes, I confuse daily life with work life. Even when I should be sleeping, I still keep thinking.”
Building a culture of prevention in the workplace
“Since the implementation of the project, there’s been a true restoration of a culture of prevention in the workplace.”
“If we didn’t have the Vision Zero Fund project, we would not be in the position to accelerate this process.”
“When the pandemic is over, ideally, possibly, I would like to take a little bit of a vacation,” he laughs.
“But there’s a lot to do.”
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These impact stories were produced with the financial support of the European Union.