More than 75,000 children aged 5 to 9 years engaged in economic activity

According to the GSS, nearly 38000 of the children between 5 to 9 years who engage in economic activities, have never been to school.

The service, in Monthly Press Release for June 2023, added that the 2021 Population and Housing Census showed that in all 419,254 children aged 5 to 17 years in Ghana are engaged in economic activities.

“Children aged 5 to 17 years worked on average 29.2 hours in the seven days preceding Census Night. Children 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).

“Children engaged as paid apprentices worked the highest number of hours on average (48.4), almost twice that of those engaged as contributing family workers who worked the lowest hours on average (25.0). Children in the service sector worked 36.8 hours on average, while those in the agricultural sector worked an average of 25.6 hours.

“Nationally, 153,773 children aged 5 to 17 years engaged in economic activity had never attended school. Out 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,” parts of the release.

The GSS also stated that more than 80 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and 9 years in six out of the 16 regions in Ghana, including the Northern, North East, Upper West, Savanah and Upper East Region, engage in economic activities.

Read the full release by the GSS below: