Global Freedom Network identifies 91,000 modern slavery victims in Ghana since 2021

Madam Elizabeth Poku, GFN Programme Coordinator, stated that these figures are based on the organization's internal research. She highlighted that despite international conventions prohibiting slavery, practices such as human trafficking, forced labor, child marriage, and debt bondage are increasing. GFN, established in 2014, aims to eradicate modern slavery through awareness, advocacy, and partnerships, including organizing declaration signing ceremonies with religious leaders worldwide.

The first African declaration ceremony was held in Ghana on August 5, 2021, involving 14 religious leaders from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria. This disclosure follows a Ghana Police Service report on July 21, 2026, detailing the rescue of 33 human trafficking victims and the arrest of 28 suspects in operations targeting cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking, and illicit arms trafficking. DCOP Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department CID, noted that other trafficking cases, primarily from Nigeria into Ghana, were disrupted earlier this year.

GFN's research indicates poverty, political instability, and famine as key drivers of modern slavery. The organization also addresses child and forced marriages, which often go unreported