The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, has called for renewed and targeted investments in children, stressing that the true measure of Ghana’s development lies in ensuring that every child has the opportunity to survive, learn, thrive and realise their full potential.
Speaking at the launch of the Situation Analysis of Children and Adolescents in Ghana (SitAn) and Assessing Public Spending by Age in Ghana reports in Accra on Monday, 16 June 2026, Dr Amoah said the findings of the two reports provides a clear picture of both the progress Ghana has made and the challenges that continue to affect children and adolescents across the country.
“The evidence presented reinforces a fundamental reality: investments in children are among the most important investments any nation can make. They are investments in human capital, productivity, social cohesion, resilience and sustainable development,” she stated.
Dr Amoah noted that although Ghana has recorded significant progress in areas such as access to education, child survival and social protection programmes, including the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and School Feeding Programme, many children continue to experience multiple forms of deprivation.
She explained that the report’s life-cycle approach demonstrates how disadvantages accumulate over time, beginning during pregnancy and early childhood and continuing through adolescence.
“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. 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 said.
Dr Amoah stressed the need to better align public spending with stages of childhood where deprivation is highest, particularly during the early years, noting that increased investment at this stage could yield substantial long-term development benefits.
“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 said.
She also called for stronger decentralised services, improved child-sensitive social protection and enhanced data systems to support effective planning.
“We cannot plan effectively for children whom we do not adequately count or understand,” she emphasised, assuring young participants that their voices and recommendations would continue to inform future programmes and policies.
In her opening remarks, Ms Paulina Sarvilahti, UNICEF Representative in Ghana, commended the Government of Ghana for leading the development of the SitAn report in collaboration with key stakeholders. She noted that the report provides a strong evidence base for understanding the challenges facing children and adolescents and for informing policy and planning.
Emphasising the importance of the life-cycle approach, she said strategic and timely investments across sectors can significantly improve outcomes for children. She added that the *Assessing Public Spending by Age in Ghana* report would support more effective resource allocation and urged stakeholders to 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 an opportunity to reflect on progress made and renew commitments to addressing challenges affecting children.
He noted that despite Ghana’s significant strides in advancing children’s rights and well-being through policies, programmes and legislative reforms, many children continue to face multidimensional poverty, learning deficits, inadequate access to quality services and child protection concerns.
He emphasised that access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a fundamental child rights issue with direct implications for health, education and overall well-being. He further stressed that investing in children must be treated as a national development priority, requiring sustained financing and stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure that every child has the opportunity to survive, learn, grow and thrive.
Presenting the SitAn findings, Mr Nii Odoi Odotei, Principal Analyst at the NDPC, noted that while Ghana has made progress in education, health and social protection, significant inequalities continue to affect children.
He revealed that nearly 73 per cent of children are multidimensionally poor, with deprivation highest during the early years, while public investment remains skewed towards older children. The report also highlighted regional disparities, poor learning outcomes and challenges affecting adolescents, particularly girls.
It identified weak systems, limited data and underinvestment in early childhood development as key challenges and called for stronger coordination, expanded social protection, improved data systems and increased investment in early childhood development to ensure equitable outcomes for all children.
The event concluded with the official unveiling of the two reports and a renewed commitment by government and development partners to work together to ensure that no child in Ghana is left behind.
