Tackling child and forced labour in Ghanaian cocoa and gold mining

With funding from the Norwegian Government through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, ICI, Solidaridad and the Rainforest Alliance are collaborating to address child labour and forced labour in the cocoa supply chain and gold-mining communities in Ghana.

Cocoa and gold mining often occur in the same communities in Ghana. These communities face a heightened risk of child labour and forced labour. By testing a cross-sectoral approach, the project aims to build the socio-economic resilience of children and vulnerable people in cocoa and gold-mining communities to ensure they are protected against forced labour and the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WCFL), while supporting the roll-out of gender-sensitive human rights due diligence.

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Project Date

March 2021 - June 2024

Key facts

The project focuses on the key cocoa and gold mining landscapes of Ashanti, Eastern, Western North and Western regions.

The majority of Ghana’s cocoa farmers are self-employed and operate small-scale farms of two to five hectares.

Cocoa and gold mining are often present in the same communities with heightened risks of child labour and forced labour.

Key activities

Training of community members to monitor and report on the commitments of government and companies on child labour – to strengthen accountability towards local communities and their voice in global debate.
Engagement with Government and local authorities to identify needs and strengthen systems to prevent, identify and address child labour and forced labour risk
Set up an online platform through which cooperatives, farmer and gold mining associations/groups can access free piloted, validated tools and training materials to improve their systems to prevent, identify and address forced labour and WFCL; while at the same time allowing policy makers, law enforcement agencies and relevant government ministries to access dedicated platforms to strengthen their work.
Promotion of good practices with supply chain actors at the national and international level.

Capacity building of Community-Based Organisations to strengthen advocacy and accountability in tracking of government and company commitments.
Community-based awareness raising activities with community members, in particular women and vulnerable groups, on forced labour indicators, child labour, rights and access to social services.
Conduct hands-on trainings in alternative livelihood activities for cooperatives and at-risk vulnerable families and the setting up of Village Savings and Loans Association
Set up of a remediation fund to support survivors of WFCL and forced labour with direct, tailored remediation services.

Project partners

The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation working in 70 countries at the intersection of business, agriculture and forests.

Solidaridad is a civil society organization with more than 45 years of experience facilitating the development of social responsibility, ecology and profitable supply chains.

Project donor

The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is responsible for managing state development aid funds.