U.S. Envoy Holds Bilateral Talks with Minister of Labour on Trafficking and Employment Fraud

 U.S. Envoy Holds Bilateral Talks with Minister of Labour on Trafficking and Employment Fraud

The Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Ghana, Mr. Rolf A. Olson, has led a four-member U.S. delegation to a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, to discuss human trafficking, forced labour, child labour, and employment-related fraud.

Briefing the Minister on the purpose of the visit, Mr. Matthew Hickey, Deputy Director at the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, stated that human trafficking and labour-related crimes remain major global challenges and continue to receive high-level attention from the U.S. Government. He disclosed that the United States lost more than USD 10 billion to scams in the past year alone, many of which are linked to organised transnational criminal networks.

The U.S. delegation commended the Government of Ghana for implementing stricter measures to curb trafficking, labour fraud, and related crimes, including the extradition of individuals involved in transnational criminal activities.

During the engagement, the delegation raised concerns about false labour recruitment and sex trafficking, forced labour within cocoa-growing communities, and organised criminal networks that recruit individuals under the guise of employment opportunities in the United States, only for victims to end up in Southeast Asia and other unintended destinations. Concerns were also raised about victims of forced labour being used to defraud U.S. citizens.

The delegation further highlighted the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence by criminal networks and encouraged the adoption of AI-driven tools to help detect, track, and disrupt fraudulent activities. Issues of exploitative labour practices in foreign medical deployments were also discussed, with reports of workers being compelled to surrender portions of their salaries and restricted from visiting their families, practices described as unacceptable and requiring firm intervention.

In his response, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo reaffirmed Ghana’s long-standing collaboration with the United States and expressed the Ministry’s readiness to deepen cooperation in combating forced labour and employment fraud for the mutual benefit of both countries.

The Minister outlined key government interventions, including child labour elimination initiatives such as the Ghana Accelerated Action Plan on Child Labour, collaboration with partners to curb child labour at the district level with focus on the Western Region, and capacity-building programmes by NGOs for District Labour Officers on child labour identification and enforcement. He also mentioned the introduction of a Pre-Departure Orientation for migrant workers, to be supported by a structured manual currently under development.

He noted that sex trafficking falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, referencing recent enforcement actions such as the QNet case. The Minister also highlighted ongoing efforts by state security agencies, including the Police CID and the Economic and Organised Crime Unit, to crack down on cyber-related crimes.

Dr. Pelpuo reiterated that the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment serves as the central conduit for all employment-related matters, both domestic and international. He announced that the Ghana Labour Market Information System, expected to become operational soon, has been developed to regulate recruitment processes, provide credible labour market information, and prevent employment fraud, with access planned for all 16 regional Public Employment Centres.

Both parties concluded the meeting by reaffirming their commitment to strengthening collaboration in addressing human trafficking, forced labour, child labour, and employment scams. The U.S. Envoy encouraged the Ministry to identify areas of mutual benefit and assured the continued support of the U.S. Embassy for Ghana’s efforts.

The U.S. delegation included Mr. Matthew Hickey, Deputy Director at the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and Mr. Michael Kmiecinski of the Political Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy. Officials present from Ghana included Mr. Hamidu Adaklugu Esq., Chief Director; Dr. Smith Graham, Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission; Mr. Dauda Braimah, Acting Chief Labour Officer; Mr. Shadrach Mensah, Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management; and Mr. Eyram D. K. Tottimeh Jnr., Head of Public Affairs, among others.