The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 20 Assemblies in renewed efforts to help them eliminate child labour. Mr Francis Kwansa, Kumasi Metropolitan Labour Officer, announced this at a meeting of members of the Kumasi Community Child Labour Committee in Kumasi at the weekend. He said signatories of the MOU were expected to establish committees, which would map out programmes to fight child labour in their respective communities and ensure unimpeded access to formal education for the victims. Mr Kwansa, who is also chairman of the Kumasi Community Child labour Committee, said 10 communities had been identified in the Kumasi metropolis where child labour practice was very common. The communities include Asawasi, Aboabo, Suame Kotoko, Dichemso, Bantama Race Course, Asafo, Adum, Moshie Zongo, Oforikrom and Roman Hill. He said early this year, the KMA formed a 50-member committee on Child Labour to sensitize the people, as well as children in such communities against child labour. Mr Kwansa urged members of the committee to undertake a house-to-house campaign to monitor children engaged in child labour and collect data about them. Mr Agyemang Badu, Assistant Programme Officer of Centre for Development of People, a Non-Governmental Organisation, said his outfit and the ILO had initiated a programme to withdraw 400 children from the 10 communities and provide them with materials to enable them attend school. He said 170 of the children had already been provided with school materials under the programme. Mr David Ategah, Coordinator of Small Business Services Network, also an NGO said some 100 parents would be supported with funds from the organization to enable them undertake income-generating activities to improve their living conditions and cater for their children in schools. Mr Andy Boye Agyemang, Regional Director of Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC) appealed to parents to give adequate protection to their children and provide them with formal education to enable them contribute meaningfully towards socio-economic development of the country. Source: GNA