ILO to Host Landmark Forum in Accra: Uniting Trade Unions to End Child Labour in African Supply Chains

ACCRA, GHANA (ILO News) - With child labour continuing to undermine the rights and futures of millions of children across Africa, the International Labour Organization (ILO) will convene a landmark regional forum from 20 to 23 May 2025 in Accra, Ghana, to strengthen the role of trade unions in eliminating child labour in agricultural and artisanal mining supply chains.

Organized under the ILO’s Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Africa (ACCEL Africa) project, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the forum will bring together workers’ organizations from Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, and Uganda.

The four-day event aims to empower unions to advance child protection and decent work by sharing innovative strategies, deepening South-South cooperation, and launching a cross-country action strategy to drive real change on the ground.

Why is this happening?

Globally, an estimated 160 million children are trapped in child labour, half of them in Africa. Many work in unsafe conditions in informal supply chains, invisible to institutions and cut off from education and opportunities.

“Trade unions are uniquely placed to be powerful agents of change in the fight against child labour,” said Vanessa Phala-Moyo, Country Director of the ILO Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. “This forum is not just a meeting; it’s a commitment to action. By strengthening collective power and forging new partnerships, we are taking a crucial step toward a future where every child is free from exploitation and every worker enjoys decent work.”

This forum responds directly to these challenges by:

• Promoting peer-to-peer learning on trade union strategies to combat child labour.
• Facilitating coordinated advocacy and joint action plans; Building sustainable South-South partnerships to extend the reach and impact of unions in child protection.
• Building sustainable South-South partnerships to extend the reach and impact of unions in child protection.

Event highlights include:

• High-level panels on labour rights, freedom of association, and youth inclusion.
• Practical workshops and skills-building sessions.
• Dialogues with workers in the informal economy.
• Development of a regional action framework.

The Accra forum also sets the stage for World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June 2025, when the ILO will release new global estimates of child labour in collaboration with UNICEF, providing updated evidence to guide policy and advocacy worldwide.

This makes this event an important regional milestone that feeds directly into global action, helping to shape policy, advocacy, and partnerships leading into the World Day.

Media are invited to cover the event, with opportunities to:

• Interview ILO officials, union leaders, grassroots workers, and youth ambassadors.
• Access compelling photo and video opportunities.
• Report on new strategies and regional dynamics in the fight against child labour.

The forum will be open to accredited journalists. Media representatives are invited to cover the event and engage with speakers and participants.

For interviews, press materials, and more information please contact: [email protected] with the subject line “Media against child labour”

For more information about the ACCEL Africa project visit: www.ilo.org/accel-africa