ActionAid, in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) Foundation and the POSTCODE International Trust, has officially launched a transformative project aimed at dismantling the systemic roots of child labour within the nation’s cocoa industry.

The project, titled "Advancing Rights and Combatting Child Labour in Cocoa Value Chains in Ghana (ARCCLG)," was introduced during a high-level inception workshop for regional and district stakeholders from the Ahafo and Bono regions held this Wednesday in Goaso.

Despite Ghana producing nearly 60% of the world’s cocoa alongside Côte d'Ivoire, the sector remains shadowed by human rights challenges. A 2020 study highlighted that approximately 1.56 million children are involved in child labour across these two nations.

In Ghana’s cocoa-growing areas, the prevalence rate among children aged 5-17 exceeds 55%. The ARCCLG project is a one-year intensive intervention focusing on four key districts including Dormaa Central, Dormaa West, Asutifi North, and Asutifi South.

These areas have historically struggled with high school absenteeism and hazardous child labour, such as the use of sharp tools and agrochemicals.

Speaking at the launch, the Ahafo Regional Minister, Charity Gardiner, emphasized that the government remains deeply committed to formulating, implementing, and enforcing effective policies designed to protect the rights of children.

She called for a robust multi-sectoral collaboration to ensure these policies translate into real-world protection.

Assuring the full support of the Regional Coordinating Council, the Minister made a passionate plea for all stakeholders to unite in the fight against child labour while safeguarding the rights of children within the cocoa value chains of the Ahafo and Bono regions.

The Minister further urged ActionAid and its partners to protect their longstanding global advocacy and investment in child rights. She highlighted the importance of their work across the Ahafo region, noting that such efforts are vital to ensuring that children can live with the dignity and security they deserve.

This high-level political backing serves as a critical bridge between national policy and community-level action, reinforcing the project's goal of creating a protective environment for the youth.

Cyprian Bayor, the Head of Programs in-charge of Campaigns and Innovation for ActionAid-Ghana, said the initiative aims for a 20% reduction in child labour within the target districts through several strategic outputs.

The Head of Programs noted that this includes empowering youth by reaching 2,880 school children through peer empowerment and protection clubs.

“Community mobilization efforts will involve 2,400 community members in awareness campaigns, supported by radio broadcasts reaching an estimated 60,000 people” he added.

Julia Ross, Liason Officer for ActionAid-UK Partnership, stressed that the project focuses on industry reform by training 320 cocoa farmers and 16 cooperatives in responsible sourcing and child labour prevention.

She added that it will also strengthen institutional capacity by reactivating 16 Community Based Anti-Violent Teams (COMBATs) to serve as frontline child protection monitors.

The Liason Officer indicated that ActionAid will partner with traditional and religious leaders to shift the narrative from seeing child work as "training" to recognizing it as exploitation.

The project will promote alternative livelihoods for female-headed households to reduce reliance on children’s farm labour and establish survivor-centered services, including psychosocial counseling and reintegration into the education system, in close coordination with Social Welfare Departments.

Though initially a one-year pilot, ActionAid envisions the ARCCLG project as a blueprint for a national movement. Plans are already underway to scale the model to other high-risk regions, including the Eastern, Western, Ashanti, Oti, and Western North regions.

By fostering collaboration between the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Attorney General’s Department, and the private sector, the project aims to institutionalize child protection within the very fabric of Ghana’s cocoa value chain.

According to Cyprian Bayor, through a combination of community empowerment and global advocacy, they are launching a movement toward a child-labour-free cocoa sector that is just, inclusive, and rights-focused.