A two-year Project to facilitate the elimination of child labour and project the right of children in Ghana's cocoa industry has been launched at Abesim near Sunyani in the Bono Region.

It is a $60,000 project dubbed "Right for Cocoa Project: Protecting Children’s Rights in Ghana’s Cocoa Sector" (RIGHTS4COCOA), which is to be enrolled in three districts in the Bono and Ashanti regions.

The beneficiary districts are the Sunyani Municipal and Dormaa West District in the Bono Region and the Ahafo-Ano North District in the Ashanti Region.

At the launch last Friday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), Raphael Godlove Ahenu, said research conducted by the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), estimated that 770,000 children were engaged in hazardous work in Ghana's cocoa sector.

Mr Ahenu said the projects intended to benefit about 1,000 children who were involved or at risk of child labour in the project implemented areas.

The project is in partnership with the Indigenous Women Empowerment Network, the Alliance for Women Opportunities and Development, Help-her Ghana and the Foundation for Democratic Integrity (FDI) and founded by the Unifor Social Justice Fund, Canada.

The project is aimed at eliminating child labour in Ghana's cocoa industry by improving access to education, enhancing community awareness and promoting sustainable economic alternatives for future.

It 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.

Additionally, the project will further enhance financial literacy and access to microcredit for 200 cocoa farmers, leading to the growth of small businesses and improving economic resilience.

Backbone

Mr Ahenu said the initiative would help to ensure that the cocoa industry, which had been the backbone of the economy, no longer thrives at the expense of their children's future.

He said cocoa was Ghana’s pride, contributing significantly to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the livelihoods of millions.

"However, beneath the success of this sector lies a disturbing reality, one where thousands of children are engaged in hazardous labour, deprived of their education and stripped of their childhood.

The time to change this narrative is now," he said.

Mr Ahenu said the project would grant all children in the project-implemented areas the chance to learn, grow and realise their full potential.

Pervasive issue

For his part, the Deputy Bono Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Benjamin Quarson, said child labour was a pervasive issue that affected a greater percentage of children in Ghana.

"Thus, derailing and sabotaging the efforts of the GES in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four, which aims to provide all children and young people with quality education, reduce inequalities and support the reduction of disparities.

"It should not be a crime to be born and grow in cocoa-growing areas," he said.

Frustration

A 49-year-old farmer, Solomon Kwaku, told the  Daily Graphic that the lack of modern equipment in the industry had compelled some parents to engage children to reduce their huge workload.