Challenging Heights welcomes Ghana’s elevation to Tier 1 in the US Department of State’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, recognising the country’s progress in combating human trafficking. This is the highest ranking, given to governments that fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking. We congratulate all state institutions and agencies, non-governmental organisations and partners whose efforts made this possible.
The upgrade reflects real gains, more prosecutions and convictions, a sharp rise in victims identified and referred to services, and stronger cooperation. Having worked to end child trafficking in Ghana since 2005, Challenging Heights see this as an important milestone and clear evidence that collaboration works.
But recognition must be matched by renewed action to close the gaps that still leave people vulnerable.
Progress that must be sustained
According to the 2026 report, Ghana investigated 222 trafficking cases, prosecuted 212 alleged traffickers and secured 28 convictions in 2025. Authorities also identified and referred 2,331 trafficking victims to services, compared with 794 in 2024.
Foreign nationals made up 1,469 of the victims identified, outnumbering the 862 Ghanaians. Nigerians were by far the largest group: 896 victims (61%) of all foreign nationals identified. This mirrors Challenging Heights’ own experience. Since 2025, we have seen cross-border trafficking grow rapidly and have worked with the relevant state agencies to rescue and repatriate 230 Nigerians.
The report also notes that the government allocated GH¢3.452 million for direct victim services in 2025, up from GH¢2.85 million in 2024. Reaching Tier 1 with such limited resources shows what is possible and makes a strong case for greater investment.
Closing the gaps that remain
The report confirms what Challenging Heights see on the ground, that deceptive job offers, online scams and technology are now traffickers’ most preferred means of recruitment.
At home, children continue to be exploited in fishing, domestic servitude, street hawking, artisanal mining, agriculture and the cocoa sector. The report highlights continued trafficking and forced labour in Lake Volta’s fishing industry, where women and girls also face risks of sexual abuse.
Once rescued, too many victims have nowhere safe to go. The report identifies limited shelter capacity, particularly for adult male victims. This leads to reliance on alternative arrangements, often without proper safeguards, leaving survivors exposed to further risk.
Challenging Heights’ shelters, which are Ghana’s largest trafficking shelters, with capacities of 250 and 80, continue to provide much-needed space, but no single organisation can meet the national need.
The report also points to limited access to formal justice in rural communities, gaps in anti-trafficking training among some judges and prosecutors, and the loss of expertise through police turnover.
For over two decades, Challenging Heights has been at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery. We have supported the rescue of over 3,000 children and young people from trafficking and exploitation, provided transformative support to more than 8,000 people and reached more than 15,280 people through prevention initiatives. That experience tells us what this upgrade must now deliver.
Our call for sustained national action
Challenging Heights calls for urgent, decisive action:
- To the Government of Ghana: Increase resources for survivor services, including safe
shelters for children and adults, healthcare, psychosocial care, legal assistance and
long-term reintegration support, backed by a budgetary allocation of at least GH¢20
million. - To law enforcement and the justice system: Strengthen investigations and prosecutions
of trafficking-related cybercrime, fraudulent recruitment and organised networks. Make
the justice delivery system more child-friendly, including through a specialised court to
handle trafficking cases. - To civil society, communities and every Ghanaian: Expand community-level prevention,
particularly in Lake Volta fishing communities and other areas where child labour
persists, through public education, accessible reporting and closer collaboration
between government and civil society.
The ranking must not create the impression that trafficking has been defeated; a lot more remains to be done.
Challenging Heights will continue to support rescue operations, help survivors rebuild their
lives, strengthen communities and advocate for systems that prevent exploitation.
Signed
Dr. James Kofi Annan
(Executive Director)
Challenging Heights
