====== Ghana ======

**Region:** Western Africa  
**Regional Economic Communities (REC):** CEN-SAD · ECOWAS  

→ [[https://iiag.online/locations/gh.html|View IIAG Country Statistics]]

----

^ Indicator ^ Data ^
| **Governance (IIAG)** | Overall Governance score: 62.2 / 100 · Rank: 7th / 54 |

----

===== PART 1 – HIGH-LEVEL COUNTRY MAPPING =====

==== Institutions and Stakeholder Database ====
(To be linked)

----

==== REC Membership ====

  * CEN-SAD
  * ECOWAS

----

==== Population size and size of the informal economy ====

Ghana’s informal economy constitutes a significant portion of employment:

  * Estimated **70%–80% of total employment**  
  * Particularly dominant in:
    * Trade  
    * Agriculture  
    * Services  

The informal sector plays a central role in:

  * Urban livelihoods  
  * Youth employment  
  * Small enterprise activity  

----

==== Nature of the legal system and ILO status ====

Ghana operates a **mixed legal system**, combining:

  * Common law  
  * Statutory law  
  * Customary law  

Ghana has been a member of the **International Labour Organization (ILO) since 1957**.

The country actively participates in the **Decent Work Agenda**, including national strategies focused on:

  * Employment creation  
  * Social protection expansion  
  * Labour rights enforcement  

----

==== Workers’ rights in human rights system, national labour law / social protection and scope of protection ====

The core legal framework is:

**Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651)**  
→ [[https://www.gipc.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/LABOUR-ACT-2003-ACT-651.pdf|Labour Act, 2003]]

This Act:

  * Regulates employment relationships  
  * Establishes minimum labour standards  
  * Provides for dispute resolution mechanisms  

Ghana has also developed a **National Social Protection Strategy (2013)**:

→ [[https://www.mogcsp.gov.gh/mdocs-posts/Ghana-national-social-protection-policy|National Social Protection Strategy]]

Key features:

  * Expansion of social protection coverage  
  * Targeting vulnerable and informal workers  
  * Integration of poverty reduction and labour policy  

----

==== Existing laws, policy and regulatory initiatives for the protection of workers in the informal economy ====

Ghana demonstrates a relatively **developed regulatory framework**, combining:

  * Labour legislation  
  * Sector-specific regulation  
  * Social protection policy  

However:

  * Informality remains widespread  
  * Enforcement challenges persist  

----

===== PART 2 – SECTOR SPECIFIC REGULATION =====

----

==== Domestic Work Sector ====

**Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651)**  
→ [[https://www.gipc.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/LABOUR-ACT-2003-ACT-651.pdf|Labour Act]]

**Labour (Domestic Workers) Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2408)**  
→ [[https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/111530/GHA111530%20Eng.pdf|Domestic Workers Regulations]]

**Key features:**

  * Formal recognition of domestic workers  
  * Regulation of:
    * Working conditions  
    * Wages  
    * Rest periods  
  * Extension of labour protections to a traditionally informal sector  

This represents a **strong formalisation approach**.

----

==== Street Vendor ====

**Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 462)**  
→ [[https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/gha91927.pdf|Local Government Act]]

**Key features:**

  * Municipal regulation of trading spaces  
  * Licensing requirements  
  * Urban governance oversight  

**Reality:**

  * Street vending widely practiced  
  * Enforcement varies across municipalities  

----

==== Waste Reclaiming ====

(Content to be added)

----

==== Home working ====

(Content to be added)

----

==== Gig Work and the Platform Economy ====

(Content to be added)

----

==== Farm Work ====

**Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651)**  
→ [[https://www.gipc.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/LABOUR-ACT-2003-ACT-651.pdf|Labour Act]]

**National Social Protection Strategy (2013)**  
→ [[https://www.mogcsp.gov.gh/mdocs-posts/Ghana-national-social-protection-policy|Social Protection Strategy]]

**Key features:**

  * Application of general labour standards to agricultural workers  
  * Social protection inclusion strategies  

**Challenges:**

  * Informality in rural labour markets  
  * Limited enforcement in dispersed settings  

----

==== The Mining Sector and Artisanal Mining ====

(Content to be added)

----

==== Taxi and Transport Sector (Gig-work/platform economy overlap) ====

(Content to be added)

----

==== Cross-Border Informal Trade ====

Ghana’s position within **ECOWAS** facilitates:

  * Regional trade mobility  
  * Informal cross-border trading networks  

However:

  * Regulation remains limited  
  * Informal trade persists outside formal customs frameworks  

----

===== Sources / Links =====

  * IIAG – Ghana: https://iiag.online/locations/gh.html  
  * Labour Act, 2003: https://www.gipc.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/LABOUR-ACT-2003-ACT-651.pdf  
  * Labour (Domestic Workers) Regulations, 2020: https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/111530/GHA111530%20Eng.pdf  
  * Local Government Act, 1993: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/gha91927.pdf  
  * National Social Protection Strategy (2013): https://www.mogcsp.gov.gh/mdocs-posts/Ghana-national-social-protection-policy