Vice President Her Excellency Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has issued a clarion call for integrated national planning that prioritizes the protection and development of children and adolescents.
Speaking at a Strategic Planning Retreat organized by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) in collaboration with UNICEF Ghana, the Vice President emphasized that the strength of Ghana’s future is directly tied to the investments made in its youth today.
Under the theme “Planning Together for a Better Future for Children and Adolescents in Ghana,” the retreat gathered high-level stakeholders to align national efforts. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that child welfare cannot be siloed, as it is shaped by a complex web of sectors including education, social protection, justice, sanitation, and climate resilience.
“If we fail our children today, we fail Ghana tomorrow,” the Vice President stated. “The success of our efforts will be measured not by the depth of our dialogue, but by the concrete actions we take to eliminate child deprivation and poverty.”
In her address, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang highlighted several critical initiatives the government is advancing to safeguard young Ghanaians:
The Care Reform Roadmap: A shift in policy that prioritizes safe, family-based care over traditional institutionalization.
Digital Social Services: Leveraging technology to strengthen child protection through enhanced coordination and real-time accountability.
Ghana Against Child Abuse (GACA): A flagship campaign aimed at community prevention and the empowerment of young people to stand against exploitation.
Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Policy: A national priority focusing on the critical 0–8 age bracket as the foundation for long-term human capital development.
The Vice President underscored that a “demographic dividend” is only possible if the state embeds child-centred policies across all planning frameworks. She called for a robust system to track commitments and ensure that every cedi invested in children is accounted for.
“Prioritizing children is a moral duty and our best investment,” she concluded. “Through coordinated efforts between the government, civil society, the private sector, and development partners, we can create a stronger, more equitable Ghana for every child.”
