By Daniel Akwasi Nuako
Bibiani (WN/R), Sept. 28, GNA – Ghana is strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate child labour with the rollout of a new Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System (GCLMS).
The digital system is designed to help government institutions and other stakeholders to identify, document, refer, and follow-up on child labour cases more effectively.
The GCLMS is expected to support monitoring in sectors such as agriculture, artisanal and small-scale mining, domestic work, and other areas of the informal economy where children could be exposed to hazardous or exploitative working conditions.
The system has also been made interoperable with other child protection systems in Ghana to facilitate seamless case referrals, remediation, and improved coordination among relevant institutions.
It was developed with funding from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) through the ACCEL Africa Project and other development partners, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment.
Between September 15 to 18, 2026, the ILO, in partnership with the Child Labour Unit of the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, trained selected regional and district stakeholders from the ACCEL Africa project areas on the use of the GCLMS.
The four-day training formed part of efforts to equip officials directly involved in child labour identification, monitoring, referral and case management with the knowledge and practical skills required to use the system effectively.
Addressing participants during the training at Bibiani, Mr Bismark Quartey, the National Project Coordinator of the ILO’s ACCEL Africa Project in Ghana, emphasised the importance of reliable data in the fight against child labour.
He stated that reliable and timely data was fundamental to effective action against child labour, noting that the new GCLMS provided stakeholders with a common platform to document cases, understand their characteristics and underlying causes, initiate appropriate interventions, and follow-up on children and families receiving support.
As part of the training, participants undertook practical exercises on registering and documenting cases, updating case information, managing data, generating reports and monitoring follow-up actions.
Mr Frederick Osei Agyemang, an Officer at the Social Welfare Department at Bibiani, said the training had improved his understanding of the system and its application at the district level.
“The training has strengthened my understanding of how to use the GCLMS to document cases from identification through referral and follow-up. It will help us at the district level to improve upon the quality of information we collect and ensure that identified cases receive appropriate support,” he said.
By strengthening data collection and coordination at the regional and district levels, the system is expected to support timely and evidence-based decision-making while enabling stakeholders to track the progress of interventions provided to affected children and their families.
The rollout of the GCLMS marks an additional step in Ghana’s efforts to strengthen national systems for preventing and eliminating child labour and protecting children from work that threatens their safety, development, and future.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Bertha Badu-Agyei/Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter Daniel Nuako