More than 70 per cent of children in Ghana live under deprived conditions, a research by Ghana Multi-dimensional Child Poverty Report, has revealed.
According to the findings, many children in Ghana experienced multi-deprivations such as limited access to adequate healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation, education, and limited housing conditions among others, due to low labour capacity within households, social marginalisation and exclusion.
While access to essential services and outcomes were improving for children, the research also found that poverty levels were not declining as expected.
The Country Representative of UNESCO, Dr Yoshimi Nishino, who made the disclosure in Accra yesterday, urged government to invest in children for the country’s future.
She was speaking at a day’s forum on child responsive inclusive development on the theme: “Inclusive Development and Public Policy Performance: Prospects for Child –Responsiveness and the Way Forward.
Participants included representatives from the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Municipal District Assemblies (MDAs) and the various Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs).
According to Dr Nishino, Early Child Development was internationally recognised as producing a high return on investment for national economic growth and competitiveness.
He indicated that “numerous studies have underlined how Early Child Development services bring about improved cognitive ability, better health conditions and social skills for young children and their caregivers”.
He said “this means delivering Early Child Development services to vulnerable and disadvantaged children will help reduce disparities”.
To make significant and sustainable progress on the overall outcome for the best possible development for the next generation, he said government must deliver its response in a multi-sectoral framework based on good inter-sectoral coordination, policies and adequate public finance management based on solid transparency and accountability standards.
Dr Nishino called for the transfer of adequate financial resources to MDAs at all times to ensure effective service delivery.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Planning, Professor George Gyan-Bafour, stated that government was committed to promoting and implementing policies that would have positive impact on the welfare of children in the country.
He said “The government sees the destiny of this country’s future in human capital, hence its commitment to pursue prudent and innovative policies that provide a stable and conducive environment that facilitates the expansion of economic opportunities, promotes inclusive and job creation growth and sustainable development.”
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
