The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, has called for renewed and targeted investments in children, declaring that Ghana’s true development progress will be measured by how well every child is able to survive, learn, thrive, and realize their full potential.
Dr. Amoah made the call at the launch of two landmark reports in Accra on Monday, 16 June 2026: the Situation Analysis of Children and Adolescents in Ghana (SitAn) and Assessing Public Spending by Age in Ghana.
The event, held to mark the Day of the African Child, brought together government officials, development partners, civil society, and young people.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Amoah said the findings from the two reports offer a clear and data-driven picture of both the strides Ghana has made and the persistent challenges affecting children and adolescents nationwide.
“The evidence presented reinforces a fundamental reality: investments in children are among the most important investments any nation can make,” she stated. “They are investments in human capital, productivity, social cohesion, resilience, and sustainable development.”
She acknowledged Ghana’s significant progress in expanding access to education, improving child survival rates, and scaling up social protection programmes such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
However, she noted that millions of children continue to experience multiple, overlapping forms of deprivation that undermine those gains.
Dr. Amoah explained that the SitAn report’s life-cycle approach shows how disadvantages begin early and accumulate through childhood into adolescence if systems fail to intervene.
“A child born into poverty may miss out on adequate nutrition and early stimulation, grow up without access to proper sanitation, experience child labour, enter school unprepared, and later face unemployment or underemployment,” she said.
“These may appear as isolated challenges, but they are often the cumulative effects of systems that have not worked effectively throughout the child’s life.”
She stressed that public spending must be better aligned with the stages of childhood where deprivation is most severe, particularly during the first 1,000 days of life.
“The evidence suggests there is an opportunity to strengthen the alignment between public expenditure and the pattern of deprivation experienced across the life cycle,” she added. “Increased investment in early childhood development can yield substantial long-term benefits for individuals and for the nation.”
The NDPC Director-General also called for stronger decentralized service delivery, more child-sensitive social protection, and improved data systems to guide planning and policy.
“We cannot plan effectively for children whom we do not adequately count or understand,” she emphasized. “Stronger data will allow us to see where children are being left behind and to design solutions that reach them.”
She assured young participants at the event that their voices and recommendations would continue to shape future programmes and policies.
In her opening remarks, UNICEF Representative in Ghana, Ms. Paulina Sarvilahti, commended the Government of Ghana for leading the development of the SitAn report in collaboration with key stakeholders.
She said the report provides a strong evidence base for understanding challenges facing children and adolescents and for informing policy and resource allocation.
“The life-cycle approach shows us that strategic and timely investments across sectors can significantly improve outcomes for children,” Ms. Sarvilahti said.
“The Assessing Public Spending by Age report will help us direct resources more effectively, and we must place children at the centre of national development efforts.”
Speaking on behalf of the Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mr. Ebenezer Charway, Director of Administration, described the Day of the African Child as a moment to reflect on progress and renew commitments.
He noted that despite Ghana’s advances through policies, programmes, and legislative reforms, many children still face multidimensional poverty, learning deficits, poor access to quality services, and child protection concerns.
“Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is a fundamental child rights issue with direct implications for health, education, and overall wellbeing,” he said.
“Investing in children must be treated as a national development priority, backed by sustained financing and stronger accountability to ensure every child survives, learns, grows, and thrives.”
SitAn Findings: 73% of Children Multidimensionally Poor
Presenting the SitAn findings, Mr. Nii Odoi Odotei, Principal Analyst at the NDPC, revealed that nearly 73% of children in Ghana are multidimensionally poor. Deprivation is highest during the early years, while public investment remains skewed toward older children.
The report also highlighted stark regional disparities, poor learning outcomes, and specific challenges affecting adolescents, particularly girls. It identified weak systems, limited and fragmented data, and underinvestment in early childhood development as key constraints.
Mr. Odotei called for stronger coordination across sectors, expanded and better-targeted social protection, improved data systems, and increased investment in early childhood development to ensure equitable outcomes for all children.
*Renewed Commitment to Leave No Child Behind*
The event concluded with the official unveiling of the two reports and a renewed pledge by government and development partners to work together to close gaps and ensure no child in Ghana is left behind.
As Dr. Amoah put it: “The measure of our progress as a nation will be seen in the opportunities we create for our children today, because they are the foundation of Ghana’s future.”
