Ghana strengthens child labour fight with new digital monitoring system

Ghana is enhancing its efforts to combat child labor through the introduction of a new digital monitoring system called the Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System (GCLMS). This cutting-edge platform aims to enable government agencies and other stakeholders to more efficiently identify, document, refer, and follow up on child labor cases.

The GCLMS is particularly focused on sectors where children are at risk, including agriculture, artisanal and small-scale mining, domestic work, and other informal economy settings. The system has been designed to work seamlessly with other child protection systems in Ghana, facilitating smooth case referrals, remediation, and coordination among relevant institutions.

The GCLMS was made possible with funding from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) via the ACCEL Africa Project and other development partners, in close collaboration with Ghana's Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment. In a four-day training workshop held in Bibiani from September 15 to 18, 2026, ILO representatives, in partnership with the Ministry's Child Labour Unit, trained key stakeholders from the ACCEL Africa project areas on the use of the GCLMS.

Mr. Bismark Quartey, the National Project Coordinator of the ILO’s ACCEL Africa Project in Ghana, highlighted the critical role of accurate and timely data in the fight against child labor. He stressed that the new GCLMS provides a centralized platform for stakeholders to document cases, understand their nature and causes, launch targeted interventions, and monitor the progress of children and families receiving assistance.

During the training, participants engaged in practical exercises to register and document cases, update case information, manage data, generate reports, and oversee follow-up actions. Attendee Frederick Osei Agyemang, an Officer at the Social Welfare Department in Bibiani, expressed that the training had significantly improved his grasp of the system and its implementation at the district level.

He noted that the training had bolstered his knowledge of utilizing GCLMS from case identification to referral and follow-up, ultimately helping the district to enhance the quality of collected data and ensure that identified cases receive the necessary support. By bolstering data collection and coordination at regional and district levels, the GCLMS is expected to facilitate timely and evidence-based decision-making, allowing stakeholders to monitor the impact of interventions provided to affected children and their families.

The introduction of the GCLMS represents another significant stride in Ghana's ongoing commitment to bolster national systems aimed at preventing and eliminating child labor, safeguarding children from work that endangers their well-being, development, and future.