The International Justice Mission (IJM) Ghana has welcomed the government’s allocation of GH¢10 million to the Child and Human Trafficking Fund in the 2027 Budget, describing it as the highest allocation the fund has received so far.
Ernest Kojo Manu, Communications Specialist and Communication Lead for IJM Ghana, said the increased funding represents progress in advocacy efforts to secure greater government commitment to combating human trafficking and protecting vulnerable people.
“That’s the highest allocation we’ve seen so far. Our advocacy has yielded some results,” he said.
Also read: 2027 Budget: Gov’t allocates GH¢10m to Child and Human Trafficking Fund
However, Mr. Manu has urged caution, stressing that the announcement must translate into actual disbursement to support anti-trafficking interventions during the 2027 fiscal year.
He expressed hope that the full GH¢10 million would be released and made available to strengthen efforts to combat child trafficking and support victims.
Kojo Manu recalled that an earlier GH¢1 million allocation to the fund in 2026 was subsequently revised downwards during the mid-year budget review, raising concerns about the implementation of government funding commitments.
“We are happy but cautiously optimistic,” he said, emphasising the need to protect the allocation and ensure that the money reaches the institutions and interventions intended to tackle child and human trafficking in Ghana.
The International Justice Mission is a global human rights organisation that works to protect people living in poverty from violence, modern-day slavery, human trafficking and police abuse of power.
The government has allocated GH¢10 million to the Child and Human Trafficking Fund to strengthen interventions aimed at protecting children and other vulnerable individuals from trafficking, supporting victims and improving response mechanisms.
Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson announced the allocation during his presentation of the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
The GH¢10 million provision forms part of a broader GH¢3.4 billion allocation to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to strengthen social protection programmes and improve the welfare of vulnerable individuals and households across the country.
The ministry’s allocation also includes GH¢1.1 billion for the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme and GH¢2.1 billion for the School Feeding Programme.
Government has further earmarked GH¢40 million for the Social Protection Fund and GH¢10 million for the Domestic Violence Fund.
The funding is intended to sustain social intervention programmes, provide assistance to disadvantaged households and strengthen protection services for vulnerable groups.
The latest allocation to the Child and Human Trafficking Fund places renewed attention on the government’s commitment to tackling trafficking. However, as IJM Ghana has emphasised, the release and effective utilisation of the money will be critical in determining its impact.