Slavery and trafficking are practices existing in fishing and mining endeavours in Ghana. As regards modern-day slavery in mining, the Western Region and for that matter the three districts of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly (TNMA), Prestea-Huni Valley District Assembly (PHDA) and Amenfi East District Assembly (AEDA) are known areas with severe forms of slavery exist. In these communities people are enslaved economically as they strife for personal survival, family survival, payment of personal debts, contributing to payment of family debts etc.

The partnership between Free the Slaves (FTS) of the United States of America and Network for Community Planning and Development (NECPAD) of Ghana aimed at eradicating slavery and rehabilitating the victims of slavery on the basis of the following shared assumptions and interest:

1. Empowerment of artisanal mining communities affected by trafficking and slavery to form and develop self sustaining groups such that FTS strongly support NECPAD to help communities develop action plans to protect themselves and help them to acquire concessions and operating licences;