The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has teamed up with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other stakeholders on a new initiative aimed at tackling child labour within Ghana’s artisanal and small-scale mining industry.
The partnership is designed to give GoldBod’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Relations team the knowledge, tools, and practical frameworks needed to confront child labour, protect children’s rights, and embed responsible business practices throughout the organisation’s operations.
A two-day workshop held in Aburi, in the Eastern Region, formed the centerpiece of the initiative. The session was structured to deepen participants’ understanding of child rights, child labour, and responsible business obligations within Ghana’s mining sector. Organisers say the training also positions GoldBod as a rights-respecting, responsible public sector actor in the country’s gold value chain, while helping staff develop concrete action points for tackling child labour across the board’s operational areas.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Ruth Holdbrook-Smith, a principal officer with GoldBod’s Corporate Social Responsibility unit, said the collaboration would equip participants with practical knowledge on identifying child labour and raising awareness around the issue. She expressed confidence that the training would help staff recognize child labour cases in the field and respond appropriately.
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Douglas Acquah-Hagan, GoldBod’s Director of Human Resource, thanked UNICEF and its partners for organising the training and urged participants to apply what they learned on the ground to help address child labour challenges in Ghana’s mining communities.
The workshop featured a series of interactive sessions covering GoldBod’s efforts to promote child rights across its operations, the broader landscape of child rights and child protection in Ghana, an in-depth look at what constitutes child labour, child rights due diligence, and UNICEF Ghana’s ongoing work to combat child labour.
UNICEF child protection specialist Young Joo Lee led sessions on emerging global regulatory trends, an introduction to Ghana’s child labour public-private partnership framework, and updates from a new study examining how illegal mining affects children’s wellbeing.
Dr. Thomas Agyei, Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) at GoldBod, noted that the board requires all licensed buyers and service providers to meet strict ESG standards. He explained that these rules are designed to protect workers and the environment through traceability, human rights safeguards, and anti-corruption measures.