The New Ghana Accelerated Action Plan Against Child Labour 2023-2027 is launched

Accra, 12 June 2023 – On the World Day against Child Labour, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) launched the new five-year Ghana Accelerated Action Plan Against Child Labour 2023-2027.

The launch was chaired by Hon. Bright Wireko Brobbey, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations. Over 400 individuals attended the event, including representatives from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), United Nations (UN) agencies, development partners, civil society organizations (CSOs), private sectors, regional and district authorities, districts and communities.

“The new Action Plan demonstrates the commitment and responsibility of the Government of Ghana in protecting and advancing the rights of every child,” remarked Hon. Bright Wireko Brobbey. “It represents another significant milestone of progressing towards SDG Target 8.7,” he added.

During the event, participants were introduced to the vision, principles and content of the plan and guided how to translate these aims into concrete actions to be taken at all levels. The plan underscores the importance of collaboration with various sectors to address the root causes of child labour, such as improving access to quality education, strengthening social protection systems, enhancing livelihood opportunities for families, and promoting decent employment opportunities for the youth.

The pinnacle of the celebrations was the community durbar organized in Ayensuano district, Eastern region. To kickstart the celebrations, children performed a traditional Ghanaian dance. This was followed by children presenting their views and vision on ending child labour in Ghana and community sensitization activities.

“Today reminds us of the importance of putting children first. Protecting children from child labour and exploitation in all forms is an organizational priority for UNICEF and is a responsibility of everyone in the society,” said Ms. Lucia Soleti, UNICEF Chief of Child Protection to Ghana. “I congratulate MELR for their leadership in developing this thorough plan based on the evidence and through a participatory process engaging all stakeholders, from national and sub-national Government authorities, UN, private sector, CSOs and children.”

“There is a greater commitment from the private sector to eliminate child labour in Ghana by ensuring children’s rights are protected in their supply chains and workplace The new action plan will bring us altogether to coopearate, synergize and achieve bigger results,” said Mr. Mike Arthur, the Country Director of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI).

In Ghana, nearly 28% of children aged 5-17 years are engaged in child labour, with around 21% in hazardous working conditions. According to the Ghana Living Standards Survey (2017), most working children were engaged in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors (78%). Evidence shows that child labour is practiced in urban and rural areas, mainly among the poorest and those not attending school. Even before COVID-19, 73.4% of children live in multidimensional poverty and one in four lives in monetary poverty. Currently, over 1 million primary- through secondary-aged children are still out-of-school. Also, 33% of young women and 28% of young men are not in education, employment, and training (NEET).

This evidence shows that child labour does not emerge in isolation but is deeply intertwined with poverty, lack of access to quality education, inadequate social protection, gender inequality and limited child protection systems.  

“Child labour is not a problem that can be tackled by a single entity or sector alone. We need sectors like Child Protection, Education, Health, Social Protection, Nutrition, WASH, Youth Employment and Livelihood Development to work together to tackle the underlying causes of child labour. The plan is exactly aiming to do that,” said Ms. Elizabeth Akanbombire, the Head of the Child Labour Unit under the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations. “All children should have a childhood filled with love and care until they reach their full potential. MELR thanks all the partners for supporting to realize this vision in Ghana,” she added. 

The series of events are organized with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), International Labour Organisation (ILO), World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), International Justice Mission (IJM), Engage Now Africa, Fairetrade and Rainforest Alliance.