The NPECLC is a programme instituted by the Government of Ghana to deal with the problem of worst forms of child labour in Ghana’s cocoa sector. The programme is being implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment. The NPECLC was created in August 2006 in response to agitations in foreign countries about the use of child slave labour in the production of cocoa in West Africa.

In 2001, there were strong agitations on the international media front, especially in the USA and the UK about child exploitation in the cocoa industry in Ivory Coast and, by association and proximity, Ghana. There were threats by some consumers to boycott chocolates as a result of child labour. The governments of these countries also threatened to discontinue purchasing cocoa from West Africa. This was a matter of grave concern to the Republic of Ghana, considering that cocoa contributes over 30% of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product.

In 2001, the Protocol for the Growing and Processing of Cocoa Beans and their Derivative Products in a Manner that complies with ILO Convention 182 Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour was developed by the cocoa industry. It was a voluntary protocol, signed by Mr. William Guyton, President of the World Cocoa Foundation, and Mr. Larry Graham, President of the Chocolate Manufacturers Association. The protocol was witnessed by nine persons, including Congressman Eliot Engel of New York, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, Senator Herbert Kohl of Wisconsin, Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba of the Ivory Coast, and Frans Roselaers, Director of ILO/IPEC. The protocol is commonly referred to as the Harkin-Engel Protocol.

The Harkin-Engel Protocol requires cocoa producing countries to develop a certification system towards elimination of worst forms of child labour in the cocoa sector. the countries are also required to present a certification report to show the effort that the country is putting into eliminating worst forms of child labour in cocoa production. The initial deadline for submission of the certification report was July 1, 2005. The deadline was reviewed to July 1, 2008.

The NPECLC is therefore leading national efforts to meet the contents of the Harkin-Engel Protocol to save Ghana’s economy which relies heavily on cocoa exports. Though prompted by the Harkin-Engel Protocol, this is a national programme, implemented and monitored by the Government of Ghana and supported by organizations including Ghana Cocoa Board, World Cocoa Foundation, UNICEF, the Danish Embassy and International Cocoa Initiative. The NPECLC fits within the framework of the National Plan of Action for Elimination of Child Labour. Lessons from the NPECLC will be applied to other sectors of the economy to completely eliminate worst forms of child labour in Ghana.