Mr. Charles Kofi Ogbeh, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Adansi North, has called on all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and adopt effective measures to eliminate child labour and forced labour in the district.
He said the fight against child labour required a collective effort involving traditional authorities, assembly members, unit committee members, parents and community leaders, particularly in cocoa-growing and mining communities where children remained vulnerable to exploitation.
Mr. Ogbeh made the call at the commemoration of the 2026 World Day Against Child Labour, organised by the Adansi North District Assembly through its Department of Social Welfare at Adansi Akrokerri.
The event was held on the theme: “Red Card to Child Labour, Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults.”
It brought together representatives from the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Information Services Department (ISD), traditional authorities, assembly members, unit committee members and other stakeholders.
The DCE disclosed that following a recent stakeholders’ meeting, the Assembly would soon embark on joint operations with the security agencies to enforce district bye-laws aimed at protecting children.
He warned that children under 18 years found engaging in illegal mining activities, commercial motorcycle operations (Okada) and betting at gaming centres would be arrested and prosecuted, while motorbikes used by minors would be confiscated.
Mr. Ogbeh explained that the measures formed part of efforts to reduce child labour and safeguard the welfare and future of children in the district.
Mr. Midas Nkuah, the Head of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development at the Adansi North District Assembly, described child labour as the involvement of children in economic and non-economic activities that negatively affected their education, health and physical development.
He appealed to residents to report parents and guardians who engaged their children in child labour for appropriate action to be taken.
Mr. Nkuah clarified that children could assist their parents with age-appropriate household chores such as sweeping, fetching water and washing utensils under proper parental supervision.
The programme began with a float through the principal streets of Akrokerri to create awareness about the dangers of child labour and the need to protect children’s rights.
Participants displayed placards with inscriptions including: “Protect the Child, Preserve Adansi North,” “Adults, Let’s Protect the Children,” “Books, Not Tools – Let Our Children Learn,” “Mining is for Adults, Not Children,” and “Our Small Hands are Meant for Pens, Not Heavy Loads.”
Nana Ama Yiwah, the Gyasehemaa of Akrokerri, representing the Queenmother of Adansi Akrokerri, Nana Serwah Brewah II, commended the Assembly for selecting Akrokerri as the host for the event.
She assured the Assembly of the support of traditional authorities in the campaign against child labour and urged parents to take full responsibility for the upbringing of their children.
Nana Ama Yiwah stressed that investing in the welfare and education of children was essential to securing a brighter future for families, communities and the nation.
She also cautioned parents against engaging their children in cocoa farm activities during school hours, saying education remained the surest path to a better future for the younger generation.
GNA
