ILO builds capacity of labour inspectors to promote Occupational Safety and Health in the cocoa, artisanal and small-scale gold mining sectors in Ghana.

Kumasi, Ghana, 17 - 21 March 2025 (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) has successfully built the capacity of labour inspectors on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) through the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa) project. This is a result of the collaborative efforts between the ILO, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment (MLJE). To this end, a capacity building workshop was organized from 17th to 21st March 2025 in Kumasi, Ghana.

The workshop was facilitated by Bismark Quartey, National Project Coordinator of ACCEL Africa, Ghana and Emily Esenam Akumah, the External Collaborator on OSH for the project in Ghana. It provided 20 (6 female, 14 male) labour inspectors from the MLJE, Minerals Commission, Cocoa Health and Extension Division, Child Labour Unit, Department of Cooperatives, Workers’ and Employers’ Organizations with the requisite technical skills and knowledge to effectively promote and enforce OSH standards in the cocoa, artisanal and small-scale gold mining to support the elimination of child labour in the sectors. The workshop also provided participants with an in-depth understanding of the existing national laws and regulations governing OSH and child labour, the legal framework on child labour and OSH with focus on enforcement and gaps, international labour standards on OSH and child labour as well as the skills needed to conduct OSH risk assessment and develop practical prevention plans.

Participants were engaged in various participatory sessions during the workshop and embarked on a field visit to a cocoa farm to observe OSH practices and interact with farmers on issues of OSH and child labour in the cocoa and artisanal gold mining sectors. Francis Bibuksi, Assistant Chief Labour Officer of the Labour Department, expressed that the presentations and field visit was an opportunity for participants from the various government units to learn and appreciate OSH gaps in the cocoa and artisanal gold mining sectors and how these are linked to child labour. He was optimistic that with the depth of knowledge acquired, participants are in a better position to effectively supervise and ensure OSH compliance in the sectors (especially, the mining and cocoa sector) through the respective government departments.

The knowledge acquired through the workshop stimulated inclusive discussions among participants which led to the development of a plan of action to promote OSH and child labour elimination in the cocoa and artisanal and small-scale gold mining sectors in Ghana. A participant at the end of the workshop said, “with what I have learnt here, it is important for the management of every organization to be proactive in incorporating OSH issues in their organizational policy and enforce same”. Representing the ILO Country Office Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Bismark Quartey appreciated the stakeholders for undergoing the training and remarked that “…there is the need to deepen inter-agency collaboration among partners to strongly enforce OSH compliance in the cocoa and gold mining supply chains”. He further encouraged them to proactively initiate innovative ideas to address OSH gaps for the elimination of child labour and share successes during knowledge sharing events. He also indicated ILO’s commitment in providing technical support to the government of Ghana to put in place an OSH framework, that is OSH profile, policy and bill.

Following the workshop, participants will collaborate to implement activities in their plan of action which include among others OSH inspection field visits to cocoa and artisanal gold mining sectors.