Ghana’s commitment to addressing child labour is aligned with the deadline for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals Target 8.7, Mr Kizito Ballans, Chief Director of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has noted.
This commitment is underpinned by the number of regulations the country has passed, including the Children’s Act of 1998 (Act 560), Ghana National Social Protection Policy, Ghana School Feeding Programme and the National Plan of Action One and Two, all aimed at eradicating child labour.
Mr Kizito Ballans was speaking on behalf of the Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, at a high-level engagement seminar on the Ghana Accelerated Action Plan Against Child Labour last Friday in Accra.
He added, “We should not take pride in merely having good regulations and policies but how well we implement and the impact interventions have on child labour should be our prime objective.”
He highlighted the need for financial, logistical and technical support, suggesting the establishment of a multi-stakeholder financing strategy with clear implementation and accountability mechanisms.
The Acting Head of the Child Labour Unit, Madam Esther Ofori Agyeman shared insights into child labour interventions funded by donors and industry partners in collaboration with government institutions
She emphasized the need for a Child Labour Fund and a multi-stakeholder financing mechanism to pool resources to implement the action plan.
Madam Agyeman said partners’ commitment to combating child labour in the medium term was essential to sustain the gains made under the National Plan of Action Two (NPA 2) and to significantly improve upon past efforts.
She underlined the significance of NPA as the overarching strategic document and called for the collective buy-in of all stakeholders to ensure its successful implementation. Implementing these interventions, she added, would have a national-level impact on the fight against child labour.
The urgency of this issue prompted stakeholders to convene the seminar, seeking to enhance collaboration and get support for the Ghana Accelerated Action Plan Against Child Labour.
Priscilla Osei-Wusu Nimako, ISD
