Accra, Feb.1, GNA – Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged stakeholders in the private and public sector to adopt measures and policies that prioritise the needs and welfare of children.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) Strategic Planning Retreat, she said children’s rights, health, education and general well-being must be protected as they remained the cornerstone of the country’s future.
“Ghana’s future is not a distant dream; it is embodied in the lives of the children we see around us today.
“Their health, education, and protection are not optional, they are fundamental rights and the cornerstone of sustainable and inclusive development.
“Planning for children and young people should become front and centre of our development strategy and I believe that this retreat has helped reset our collective approach to delivering outcomes for children, “she said.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang charged the NDPC to pursue the implementation of commitments made at the retreat.
The high-level Strategic Planning Retreat brought together key stakeholders and ministries to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for children.
Leadership from the various ministries, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, and development partners, including UNICEF Ghana, attended the session to address “last mile” challenges, a release copied to Ghana News Agency said on Friday.
The retreat focused on seven critical priority areas designed to ensure that economic growth translates into well-being for every child, it said.
Areas included maternal and neonatal health, nutrition and sanitation, foundational learning, youth employment and child labour, adolescent protection, birth registration and social protection.
A key outcome of the retreat was the Government’s commitment to a “Network of Practice” model.
“This approach integrates health, nutrition, and social protection services into a unified safety net, specifically targeting adolescent girls as a catalyst for systemic change,” the release said.
Mr Osama Makkawi Khogali, UNICEF Representative in Ghana, emphasised the importance of evidence-based planning, saying: “We are not just identifying problems; we are committing to solutions.”
“From reducing the number of young people out of school to ending child marriage, our partnership with the Government of Ghana is focused on high-return investments that will yield benefits for generations to come.”
The release said strategic outcomes of the retreat would be fully integrated into the national budgeting and policy cycle, ensuring child rights remain the cornerstone of Ghana’s journey towards 2030.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
