Ghana’s Minerals Commission and Solidaridad, a non-governmental organisation has unveiled a National Partners Forum (NFP), to tackle child labour in the mining sector.
The NFP provides a platform for stakeholders to collaborate and advocate for policy reforms as well as mobilise resources to implement the Child Labour Eradication Framework (CLEF).
Child labour remains a pressing global concern within mining communities in Ghana where children are often exposed to hazardous conditions and deprived of education.
Mr Victor Astu Amekor, Assistant Manager for Small-scale and Industrial mining at the Minerals Commission, emphasized the importance of a collaborative approach to eradicate the critical issues on child labour.
Minerals Commission believed that addressing the menace of child labour in the mining sector required an all hands-on-deck approach to ensure strategic linkages among partnerships and results.
He said the commission remained committed to providing stewardship towards promoting good corporate governance in the interest of all actors, strengthening institutional and community capacity for the eradication of child labour in mining.
Madam Rosemary Addico, Programme Manager for Gold Programmes at Solidaridad, said the establishment of the forum was pivotal to the organization’s mission of promoting responsible mining practices free of child labour.
Solidaridad, through its RECLAIM Sustainability programme, had been advocating for responsible mining practices where fair value distribution, safe working conditions, child labour, and deforestation were central to the agenda of policymakers.
The National Partners Forum comprises of representatives from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Minerals Commission, Ministries of Education, Employment and Labour Relations and Gender, Children & Social Protection.
Others were the Ghana Land Restoration and Sustainable Management Project, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Chamber of Mines and Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners.
