The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed that 76,439 children aged 5 to 9 engaged in economic activity during the seven days – 21st to 27th June 2021 – preceding the 2021 census night.
The data – released to mark the 2023 World Day Against Child Labour under the theme ‘Social justice for all, end child labour!’ – reveals that, nationally, the total number of children aged 5 to 17 years engaged in economic activity were 419,254: of which 153,189 were aged 10 to 14 years; 189,626 aged 15 to 17 years; with the remaining 76,439 being the youngest group (children aged 5 to 9).
The GSS defines economic activity as any work performed in the seven days before census night that contributed to the economic production of goods and services.
Additionally, statistics on the economic activity of children paid attention to number of hours each of the three age-groups dedicated to the work they undertook.
GSS explained that while children aged 5 to 17 years worked an average of 29.2 hours in the seven days preceding census night, children aged 15 to 17 years worked an average of 35.2 hours, children 10 to 14 years worked an average of 26.5 hours (about 5 hours per weekday) and children 5 to 9 years worked an average of 19.8 hours (about 4 hours per weekday).
Nationally, it said, 153,773 children aged 5 to 17 years engaged in economic activity had never attended school. Of this number, 37,963 children were 5 to 9 years. In all, 94,748 children aged 5 to 17 years engaged in economic activity were also attending school during the census.
Assessing the children who fall within the age group of 5 years to 9 years at the regional level, the report stated that 8 in every 10 children of the said category representing a percentage of 81.3 who were engaged in economic activity lived in six regions – Northern, 19,727; Oti, 14,875; North East, 8,073; Upper West, 7,071; Savannah, 6,525; and Upper East, 5,851.
For children aged 5 to 14 who were engaged in economic activity over the seven days preceding census night, 9,707 lived in Nkwanta North; 7,598 in Krachi Nchumuru; and 7,598 in Nanumba North municipality. These three districts had 21,726 children representing 10.8 percent of all children 5 to 14 years engaged in economic activities.
