Accra: Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has called upon stakeholders in both the private and public sectors to implement policies and measures that prioritize the welfare and needs of children. Speaking at the conclusion of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) Strategic Planning Retreat, she emphasized the importance of safeguarding children's rights, health, education, and overall well-being as pivotal to the nation's future.
According to Ghana News Agency, Professor Opoku-Agyemang stressed that children's health, education, and protection are fundamental rights and essential to sustainable development. She urged that planning for children and youth should be at the forefront of the country's development strategies and expressed hope that the retreat had redefined the collective approach towards achieving better outcomes for children. Additionally, she encouraged the NDPC to implement the commitments made during the retreat.
The Strategic Planning Retreat convened prominent stakeholders, ministries, and development partners, including UNICEF Ghana, to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focused on children. The event aimed to address 'last mile' challenges and emphasized seven critical priority areas to ensure economic growth benefits all children. These areas included maternal and neonatal health, nutrition, sanitation, foundational learning, youth employment and child labor, adolescent protection, birth registration, and social protection.
A significant outcome from the retreat was the Government's pledge to adopt a 'Network of Practice' model. This model seeks to integrate health, nutrition, and social protection services into a unified framework, specifically targeting adolescent girls to drive systemic change. UNICEF Representative in Ghana, Mr. Osama Makkawi Khogali, highlighted the importance of evidence-based planning and reiterated the commitment to actionable solutions, focusing on high-return investments like reducing school dropouts and ending child marriage.
The strategic outcomes from the retreat are set to be fully incorporated into the national budgeting and policy cycle. This integration ensures that child rights remain central to Ghana's developmental agenda as the nation progresses towards 2030.