Ministry scale up activities to eliminate Child Labour in Cocoa

Remediation activities under the National Programme for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa (NPECLC) should by the end of this year cover all 68 cocoa growing districts in the country.

Implementation is currently underway in 47 districts and over 500 communities, where some 6, 300 vulnerable and distressed children have been earmarked for support .

Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Antwi Boasiako Sekyere says one major focus is to roll out a Community-Based Child Labour Monitoring System (CCLM) in six cocoa districts and 60 communities on a pilot basis to alleviate worst forms of child labour. He says “the CCLM would ensure a continuous data collection, analysis and reporting on the prevalence of worst forms of child labour, whilst instituting and monitoring remedial action at the same time”.

Mr. Boasiako Sekyere, who was addressing a familiarization meeting with Municipal and District Chief Executives of cocoa growing districts in Kumasi, noted “the CCLM is intended to ensure community ownership, sustainability and increased community participation in efforts to eliminate worst forms of child labour in cocoa”.

He observed some partners in the implementation of action plans were spending as much as 80 percent of total budget on overhead cost, leaving about 20 percent for real programme execution. This he said must be reversed by working with government-established structures, mostly municipal and district assemblies to achieve set objectives.

The Ministry is also satisfied with the improved status of Ghana internationally regards the use of children in worst forms of labour. In an interview with Luv Fm, Boasiako Sekyere said “currently the United States Department of Labour, which comes out with an executive order every year to name and shame countries which use child labour in the production of goods and services has come to appreciate the enormous efforts Ghana is doing to eliminate worst forms of child labour”.

He says the removal of Ghana's name from the list of Cocoa and Mining is a plus to the huge investment to provide better opportunities for children, but said more need to be done, especially in the fishery sector.

Acting Programmes Manager of the NPECLC, Mamoud Kenneth says collaborations and idea sharing with partners, especially the district assemblies are being intensified for the sustainability of the progamme.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh