Protecting children in the mines of Nkatieso: The story of Eric Nkrumah

ACCRA (ILO News) - In Nkatieso, a cocoa- and gold-mining community in Ghana’s Western North Region, 41-year-old Eric Nkrumah is taking action to protect children from the dangers of child labour.

Eric works with Beava Small-Scale Mining Enterprise, one of the local mining operations in the area. Like many miners, he used to see children coming to the sites to earn money during school hours, often getting injured and missing out on their education.

© ILO/Robert

© ILO/Robert

Things began to change after Eric received training on eliminating child labour in mining from his community’s Child Protection Committee (CCPC), established under the ILO’s ACCEL Africa Project financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Since then, he has joined the CCPC’s efforts to visit mining sites and cocoa farms, raising awareness among community members about the risks and long-term consequences of child labour.

Eric has now taken action. He is preventing children from joining mining activities, speaking directly with parents and fellow miners about the dangers and urging them to keep children in school. So far, he reports to have helped around 50 children from engaging in mining. He also convinced Beava Small-Scale Mining Enterprise to support these children with remediation packages, including school bags, uniforms, footwear, and books, to encourage their return to school.

“Before, I thought it was normal to see children at the mining pits,” Eric reflects. “But now I know better. They belong in classrooms, not in mining pits.” Eric Nkrumah

Eric’s efforts show how community structures like the CCPC can make a real difference. With the right knowledge and support, people like him are turning mining sites back into safe spaces for adults and giving children a chance to return to school and build a better future.