Data Collection Survey on Child Labour and Support for Child Labour Free Zone Pilot Activities with a Focus on the Cocoa Region in the Republic of Ghana Final Report
This JICA-commissioned study, conducted from October 2020 to June 2022 by ACE and IC Net Ltd., focused on addressing child labour in Ghana’s cocoa regions. It aimed to analyze global and local trends in child labour, test the feasibility of Ghana’s newly developed Child Labour Free Zones (CLFZ) framework, and gather insights from international stakeholders involved in sustainable cocoa initiatives. The CLFZ framework, which outlines 36 criteria across areas such as community awareness, education, and child protection systems, was piloted in two districts to assess its practicality and impact.
The pilot confirmed the framework’s usefulness, highlighting the effectiveness of Community Child Protection Committees and the importance of active government involvement. Based on field findings, recommendations were made to improve the national CLFZ guidelines, which were subsequently revised. Results were shared through dissemination workshops in Accra and Tokyo, and JICA has since approved a follow-up technical cooperation phase to support scaling up the CLFZ approach in Ghana.
Area of focus: Cocoa, Other
Organisation/institution: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Action against Child Exploitation (ACE), IC Net Limited