Ghana has taken another step towards strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate child labour with the rollout of the new Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System (GCLMS).
The digital system is designed to help government institutions and other stakeholders identify, document, refer and follow up on child labour cases more effectively.
The GCLMS is particularly expected to support monitoring in sectors such as agriculture, artisanal and small-scale mining, domestic work and other areas of the informal economy, where children may be exposed to hazardous or exploitative working conditions.
The system has also been made interoperable with other child protection systems in Ghana to facilitate seamless case referrals, remediation and improved coordination among relevant institutions.
From September 15 to 18, 2026, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), through its Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour (ACCEL) Africa Project, in partnership with the Child Labour Unit of the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, trained selected regional and district stakeholders from ACCEL Africa project areas on the use of the GCLMS.
The four-day training formed part of efforts to equip officials directly involved in child labour identification, monitoring, referral and case management with the knowledge and practical skills required to use the system effectively.
Addressing participants during the training at Bibiani, the National Project Coordinator of the ILO's ACCEL Africa Project in Ghana, Bismark Quartey, emphasised the importance of reliable data in the fight against child labour. “Reliable and timely data is fundamental to effective action against child labour.
The new GCLMS provides stakeholders with a common mechanism to document cases, understand their characteristics and underlying causes, initiate appropriate interventions and follow up on children and families receiving support,” he stated.
The GCLMS was developed with funding from the ILO through the ACCEL Africa Project and other development partners, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment.
Mr Quartey said the system provided a common framework for collecting, managing, analysing and reporting information on child labour cases and added that for district and regional officers, the system was expected to improve the maintenance of accurate case records and ensure that relevant information followed each case from identification through referral and follow-up.
