Daboase, (W/R), Nov.12, GNA - COCOBOD has adopted educational and capacity building strategies to improve labour practices in cocoa growing communities, Mr Paul Ntim, a Senior Research Officer of the Board has said.

He was speaking at a durbar with cocoa farmers in the Mpohor Wassa East District of Daboase on Monday.

Mr Ntim said the educational and capacity building strategies would primarily focus on creating awareness and sensitizing communities to combat abusive and exploitative labour practices in the cocoa sector. He said COCOBOD was collaborating with the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) to build the capacity of COCOBOD field staff on child labour issues.

Mr Ntim said so far, over 300 field staff of the Board and Licensed Buying Companies have been trained to sensitize members of cocoa farming communities on worst forms of child labour. He said field officers who had benefited from the capacity building programmes had organized child labour sensitization programmes in their areas of operation.

Mr Ntim said through such community sensitization programmes, community members of all ages were made aware of the concepts of child labour; its causes, effects and dangers and how communities could contribute to address it. He said the sensitization programmes had been effective because of the use of local languages and local people. Mr Ntim said COCOBOD was also supporting the National Programme for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa (NPECLC) which was instituted in 2006. He said the NPECLC was to lead and coordinate efforts to eliminate worst forms of child labour in cocoa growing areas and other sectors by 2011. Mr Ntim said COCOBOD in collaboration with ICI initiated a radio programme on child labour and that some media personnel have been trained on the issue for effective communication and hosting of programmes. 12 Nov. 08