Community Information Centres are loudspeaker systems used in many communities in Ghana to share important information. Embedded within community life, they are one of the most accessible communication channels, as they require no literacy skills, internet access, or personal devices to listen. They are usually operated by private individuals from a small room with microphones, amplifiers, and speakers placed outside for people to hear. Additionally, Community Information Centres serve as a reliable source for news and updates for community members and therefore, can be an effective way to reach rural communities with key messages.
As part of its work to tackle forced labour risks, ICI has developed awareness-raising audios that can be played at Information Centres to help communities better understand labour rights and how to access support through the Community Child and Labour Protection Committees (CCLPCs)1. Through real-life scenarios that reflect everyday experiences in cocoa communities, communities are learning about fair labour practices and peaceful ways to resolve disputes. In addition to the pre-recorded audios, the CCLPCs can also use the information centre for real-time awareness raising where they are present in the studio and can deliver live messages through the microphone.
For Opoku Bismark, a farm owner in Sefwi Asuopri, the Information Centre is a familiar part of community life and a regular way of hearing about community issues and farming. “I don’t have a radio set, so the information centre is my main source of information regarding my community. I mostly hear audios being played when I am walking around or sitting with my friends at different areas in the community,” he explains. For Opoku, the messages have changed how he thinks about conflict resolution: “Before I heard the audio, I just knew that if you have an issue with your farm worker, you just argue with him/her or fight to win. But after hearing from the information centre, I know that such issues can be resolved amicably without violence”.
“Also on the information centre, I heard it’s advisable to have a written contract when giving out your farm to someone to work on,” says Opoku.
The audio played at the Information Centres has also helped make the role of CCLPCs clearer for community members. Perpetual Owusu, a CCLPC member, says the broadcasts have changed how people perceive the committees: “People thought coming to see the committee was a complex process, but after the audios were played, it has given examples of how the committee can help. Now, people are beginning to engage us more,” Perpetual explained. Perpetual recalls several disputes that were resolved after people learned about the process through the audio broadcasts: “Examples are misunderstandings in the sharing of farm produce.”
According to Emmanuel Nyame, CCLPC member, “the information centre is part of our daily lives here. The audios are played at the information centre for the community to hear about it because everyone passively listens to it.”
CCLPC members sometimes receive questions from community members after broadcasts, wanting to learn more about their work. Johnson Addo, a CCLPC member in Sefwi Asuopri, said: “These conversations in the audio are helping to build trust while correcting misconceptions about grievance mechanisms. Aside from playing the audios, the information centres also help us mobilise communities for meetings and in-person community-level awareness raising.”
As ICI continues working to strengthen community-based grievance mechanisms in cocoa-growing communities, Information Centres are emerging as a practical tool for awareness raising in Ghana. By bringing information closer to communities and presenting it in ways that people understand and relate to, the information centres are helping to resolve disputes peacefully, protect labour rights, and build safer working environments for cocoa-growing communities.