Public Procurement and Child Labour in Ghana and Nigeria

Abstract Despite numerous domestic laws and treaties prohibiting child labour, the practice persists in many African countries, including in government supply chains. It is important to highlight the connection between public procurement and child labour in Africa because the continent hosts over 50% of the world’s child labourers. Furthermore, tackling child labour through public procurement processes has not attracted much academic and policy attention. In order to shift this narrative, this article examines the public procurement frameworks of Ghana and Nigeria to reveal how they address child labour throughout the process of planning, tendering, contract award and contract management. It finds that the selected countries’ legal frameworks are inadequate in addressing child labour and recommends measures to improve the identified limitations.