The GloMeF is an anti-corruption media advocacy non-profit organisation working to promote social change, human rights and community development.

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GloMeF, Raphael Godlove Ahenu, who disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, said GloMeF sought the grant for the implementation of its “Rights4Cocoa: Protecting Children’s Rights in Ghana’s Cocoa Sector” project.

The project aimed at eliminating child labour in cocoa-growing communities by improving access to education, enhancing community awareness and promoting sustainable economic alternatives for families.

Mr Ahenu said the execution of the 24-month project intended to benefit more than 1,000 children who were involved in and are at risk of child labour at cocoa growing communities in Dormaa West and Dormaa Municipality of Bono and Ahafo-Ano North cocoa districts.

Sustainable farming practices

The project seeks to improve the economic solidity of 500 cocoa farming households through the adoption of sustainable farming practices, leading to a 20 per cent increase in household incomes.

Mr Ahenu added that the project would further enhance financial literacy and access to microcredit for 200 cocoa farmers, leading to the growth of small businesses and improved economic resilience.

“Despite the economic benefits of cocoa, cocoa farming communities are still bedevilled with significant challenges, including high levels of poverty and child labour,” he stated.

According to the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), an estimated 770,000 children were actively engaged in hazardous child labour in Ghana’s cocoa sector, Mr Ahenu revealed, saying those children often missed out on school and were exposed to dangerous working conditions.

The conditions included carrying heavy loads, exposure to agrochemicals and working with sharp tools.

Mr Ahenu expressed worry that the persistence of child labour in cocoa-growing communities undermined the victim’s prospects and thereby perpetuated the cycle of poverty and illiteracy.

“Addressing child labour in cocoa-growing communities is, therefore, crucial for the nation’s commitment to various international conventions and protocols aimed at eliminating child labour,” he stated.

Tackling child labour in the cocoa sector, therefore, required a comprehensive and sustained effort to improve educational access, provide economic alternatives, raise awareness and strengthen community and institutional capacities to protect children’s rights, he said.