Beyond access: Shifting financial behaviours to break the cycle of child labour

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence—and the fastest growth—of child labour globally. According to the ILO’s 2024 global estimates, over 86.6 million children are engaged in child labour across the region, the majority in agriculture. Worsening poverty, food insecurity, and climate-related shocks continue to push vulnerable families into negative coping strategies, including withdrawing children from school and sending them to work.

The ACCEL Africa project tackles the root causes of this crisis by promoting decent work and sustainable livelihoods. In the fight against child labour, economic vulnerability remains a central driver. We spoke with Djitaba Sackho, Social Finance Officer for ACCEL Africa, to explore a deeper issue:

Are families equipped to manage and plan their finances in ways that reduce their reliance on child labour?

Since 2024, ACCEL Africa has taken this challenge head-on through a three-tiered strategy to shift financial behaviours. The approach combines:

1. Capacity building for local trainers,
2. Financial education for targeted beneficiaries, and
3. Post-training community-based mentoring.

The aim is simple but powerful: to help households stabilize incomes, prepare for financial shocks, and build alternatives that allow children to stay in school—not be sent to the fields.

Why does financial behaviour change matter?

Child labour is often the result of urgent, short-term decisions triggered by crisis. A failed harvest. A sudden illness. School fees coming due. Without savings, budgeting skills, or safety nets, families may feel they have no option but to send children to work.

Financial education is an essential starting point—but it's only part of the solution. To ensure long-term protection for children, families need to transform how they plan and manage money. That means developing healthier financial habits, building resilience to shocks, and adopting sustainable strategies that reduce economic pressure on children.

ACCEL Africa is proving that behaviour change—when paired with training, support, and community reinforcement—can be a powerful lever for lasting impact.

A three-tiered model for behaviour change

Training certified local trainers in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria

ACCEL Africa is investing in building national pools of certified financial education trainers, using ILO’s globally validated methodology. In Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, this effort has been co-financed with other ILO projects to optimize resources and ensure long-term sustainability.

A new strategy is taking shape: working with local institutions to identify and support committed local trainers. Training-of-Trainers (ToT) sessions are now being prepared for both Mali and Nigeria.

Training beneficiaries in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Uganda

Trainers currently undergo ing certification are delivering participatory, action-oriented training to cocoa, coffee, cotton, and tea producers across three countries. The content focuses on:

• Budgeting and income tracking
• Savings goal planning
• Identifying and managing high-risk financial behaviors

In Côte d’Ivoire, custom training materials were developed to reflect local realities. In other countries, special efforts are being made to integrate child labour-specific messages, ensuring that training is relevant for at-risk households.

Post-training mentoring by change agents pilot in Côte d’Ivoire

To sustain impact beyond the classroom, a pilot mentoring model was launched in Côte d’Ivoire using community-based change agents. These peer mentors accompany training beneficiaries for 12 weeks following their sessions.

They:

• Organize monthly follow-up meetings
• Help beneficiaries apply financial management tools (budgets, savings plans)
• Monitor risks of over-indebtedness and signs of child labour

Initial data indicates that households receiving mentoring demonstrate greater retention and use of tools, especially among women and the most vulnerable community members.

Key insights and strategic lessons

This multi-country experience has generated several key lessons:

• Local anchoring is essential. In Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria, national institutions are being engaged from the outset to co-design ToT strategies—building local ownership and ensuring sustainability.
• Behaviour change requires structured follow-up. Mentoring in Côte d’Ivoire boosted savings consistency and improved families’ ability to anticipate financial shocks.
• Tailored content enhances relevance. In Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, adapting financial messages to the realities of agricultural seasons, household roles, and child labour risks increased both comprehension and engagement.
• Pooling resources increases reach. In Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, coordination across three ILO projects enabled the creation of a shared trainer network—maximizing coverage and efficiency.

Looking forward: scaling responsibly

Financial behaviour change is not an optional add-on—it is a cornerstone in reducing families’ economic reliance on child labour. As ACCEL Africa activities moves into next phases, key priorities include:

• Scaling the change agent model across additional countries to ensure sustained post-training support at community level;
• Adapting and expanding the digital engagement strategy (e.g. IVR, SMS) to reinforce key financial messages and reach low-literacy audiences with timely prompts;
• Strengthening linkages between financial education and inclusive financial services, by deepening partnerships with financial service providers and leveraging the Innovation Challenge Fund to co-create practical, context-driven solutions.

“Transforming how families plan their finances is one of the strongest levers we have to protect children. It’s not only about tools—it’s about mindset, structure, and sustained support.” Djitaba Sackho, Social Finance Technical Officer for ACCEL Africa