weighted score 4.8 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Ghana
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Ghana-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
5
TVPRA listings for cocoa, gold, and fish. Child labour prevalence in cocoa farming remains significant despite CLMRS programmes. Galamsey mining involves documented child and forced labour.
Worker rights & FOA
5
ILO core conventions ratified. Trade unions are legal and active. Freedom of association is generally respected, though enforcement in informal sectors (ASM, smallholder agriculture) is weak.
OHS & audit transparency
5
Audit access is generally possible for formal-sector operations. Informal sector — galamsey, smallholder cocoa — is largely outside audit reach. OHS standards enforcement is limited in mining and agriculture.
Food & product safety
4
Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and Food & Drugs Authority (FDA) are functional. Cocoa quality control via COCOBOD is well-established. Processed food safety systems are less mature.
Environmental & regulatory
7
EUDR high-risk for cocoa (world #2 producer). Galamsey mining causes severe deforestation and water pollution. Forest reserve encroachment for cocoa expansion is documented and ongoing.
Governance & anti-corruption
5
TI CPI 43/100. Democratic governance with peaceful power transitions. Corruption risk in extractive industries and public procurement. Judiciary is functional but under-resourced.
Tariff & preferential access
2
EU EPA provides duty-free, quota-free access. AGOA eligibility for US market. AfCFTA headquarters in Accra. Tariff risk is low for EU-bound supply chains.
Non-tariff barriers
4
EUDR due diligence requirements for cocoa create significant compliance burden. EU Forced Labour Regulation (from 2027) will apply to TVPRA-listed commodities. SPS standards for food exports are manageable.
Supply chain traceability
6
800,000+ smallholder cocoa farms create extreme fragmentation. COCOBOD LBC system provides partial structure. Full farm-to-port traceability for EUDR compliance is a major ongoing challenge.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- TVPRA listings
- Ghana appears on the US TVPRA/ILAB list for cocoa (child labour), gold (child labour & forced labour), and fish/tilapia (child labour, particularly Lake Volta). These listings create documented supply chain risk for buyers sourcing Ghanaian-origin commodities.
- Cocoa child labour
- Despite CLMRS (Child Labour Monitoring & Remediation Systems) deployed by major chocolate companies, prevalence of child labour in cocoa-growing communities remains significant. Smallholder fragmentation — over 800,000 cocoa farms — makes monitoring and remediation extremely challenging.
- Artisanal mining
- Galamsey (illegal artisanal gold mining) involves documented child labour and hazardous working conditions. Mercury use in processing creates occupational health risks. The informal nature of galamsey operations makes audit-based compliance approaches largely ineffective.
Environmental & Regulatory Exposure
Environmental & Regulatory Exposure
- Deforestation
- Ghana has one of the highest deforestation rates in West Africa. Cocoa expansion into forest reserves and galamsey mining are the primary drivers. EUDR exposure is significant for cocoa-origin supply chains — Ghana is the world's #2 cocoa producer.
- CPI score
- Transparency International CPI 2024: 43/100. Governance is functional but corruption risk is material, particularly in extractive industries licensing and public procurement.
- EU EPA tariff access
- Ghana's interim EPA with the EU provides duty-free, quota-free access. Tariff risk score is low (2) — but non-tariff barriers related to EUDR, EU Forced Labour Regulation, and food safety standards create compliance complexity.
- Smallholder traceability
- Over 800,000 smallholder cocoa farms create extreme traceability fragmentation. COCOBOD’s Licensed Buying Company system provides some structure, but full farm-to-port traceability remains a major gap for EU due diligence compliance.