‘Hotspot Analysis of Child Labour in Africa’ 31 August 2020

In 2017, the International Labour Organization (ILO), issued the Global Estimates of Child Labour for 2012 to 2016 – highlights from the report suggests that Africa is home to the largest population of child labourers with a total of 72.1 million children in child labour and 31.5 million involved in hazardous work. One-fifth of children on the African continent are engaged in child labour – the highest in the world. Again, 9% of children in Africa participate in hazardous work – this proportion is also the highest in any region. As observed in other parts of the world, the highest share of child labour is prevalent in the agriculture sector. Similarly, Africa’s agriculture sector accounts for 85% of child labour, representing 61.4 million children. In Africa, children involved in child labour are most often not paid so an employer-employee relationship is non-existent as children work predominantly in family farmlands and family enterprises – child labour is more prevalent in Africa than any other region.

… There is also incidence of child labour in other agricultural activities such as fishing, herding livestock and the production of palm oil, maize, cassava, rice, cotton, tobacco and many other crops. In Ghana, where 1 out of 6 children with ages from 6 to 14 years, are involved in child labour, 88% of these children work on farms and 2.3% work in the fishing industry; preparing baits, draining canoes, casting and pulling fishing nets and selling fish among many other activities. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there are high levels of economic activities among 7 to 14 year olds – this economic condition is predominant in Ethiopia, Somalia and Zambia.

… Eliminating child labour in the agriculture sector is a major challenge as the agriculture sector is under-regulated in most African countries – this makes the regulation of child labour in the sector less stringent as compared to other sectors. In most cases, national labour legislation fails to extensively cover family farms, which is where a large proportion of child labour is recorded. In addition to implementing effective labour legislation that protects children from child labour on family farms, Governments and development partners should channel the needed resources into increasing labour-saving technologies on farmlands to reduce human labour in the agriculture sector.