A Participatory Evaluation of Child Labor in the Shea Value Chain in Northern Ghana

The shea tree has been a strategic resource for women livelihoods in Ghana serving as an important source of income for rural households. An estimated 20 million women are directly involved in the shea sector in West and East Africa. In West Africa, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Mali play a very important role in the shea market with Shea butter, a product of shea used for food products (90%), cosmetics (9%) and pharmaceuticals (1%). Given the nature of the actors and their interactions, human rights violations may exist in this shea market: forced labor, child labor, indecent wages, etc. In spite of the fact that most countries in the shea belt have policies in place to protect children’s rights, many countries still face child labor; hence, this study. The study adopted a participatory and learning approach to assess the shea value chain in northern Ghana, involving interviews with companies, 11 shea cooperatives, 11 children’s groups, 11 Department of Social Welfare officers, 11 teachers, and 20 parents/caregivers. The qualitative design allowed respondents to provide detailed information on the shea value chain and the cause of child labor. The study revealed that the shea value chain is a viable economic activity for communities, especially women and their households. Key stakeholders in the industry include chiefs, religious leaders, women cooperatives, assembly, transporters, shea nut aggregators, processors, and policy and advocacy institutions. There are still high potential areas for shea nut extraction that the government, multilateral, and private sector could tap into. Child labor exists in the sourcing communities of all participating companies, with children being active participants in the picking and transportation of shea nuts. Poverty is the major cause of child labor or engagement in the shea value chain. The study recommends enforcement of the Children Act, 1998 under the shea value chain sector and child policy dialogue among communities and government to balance law and moral issues in child labor engagement.