The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, is seeking to expand efforts to eliminate child labour beyond the cocoa sector as part of strengthened collaboration with development partners, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

This emerged during a meeting between officials of the Ministry, Child Labour Unit of the Labour Department and representatives of JICA to review the implementation of the Child Labour Free Zone (CLFZ) guidelines and explore strategies to sustain the initiative beyond the current project cycle.

Speaking at the meeting, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Hon. Dr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, underscored the need to broaden the scope of child labour interventions beyond cocoa-growing communities.

He noted that while significant progress has been made in the cocoa sector, limiting national strategies to that industry alone could reduce the overall impact of efforts to eliminate child labour.

“We suggested that rather than focusing on cocoa alone as the primary area of emphasis, we should extend our attention to other sectors to determine how child labour can be controlled more effectively.

This will help widen the scope of our operations,” Dr. Pelpuo said.

The Minister also highlighted the important role cooperative societies can play in supporting interventions aimed at tackling child labour across the country.

He explained that the Cooperative Department within the Ministry works closely with organisations operating in local communities, making them key partners in addressing the challenge.

“We have cooperative departments that engage organisations within their local communities.

These cooperatives operate across various industries and are present throughout the country, making them a valuable network to collaborate with in addressing child labour concerns,” he explained.

The JICA delegation, led by the Deputy Director-in-Charge of Governance, Justice and Peace Building, Lee Chiaki, indicated that the project supporting the implementation of the Child Labour Free Zone guidelines is expected to conclude in December this year, making it timely to assess progress and determine the next steps for sustaining the gains achieved.

The discussions focused on three key areas: strengthening the implementation strategy of the Child Labour Free Zone guidelines, sustaining the child labour-free declaration made in Bibiani, and enhancing collaboration among ministries and key institutions involved in the fight against child labour.

The delegation also noted that although Ghana revised the guidelines and implemented them over the past three years, some gaps have emerged between the original policy intentions and practical implementation on the ground.

The meeting further discussed plans to commemorate the first declaration of a Child Labour Free Zone in Bibiani later this year.