A new UNICEF study has found that Ghana’s investments in children are arriving too late and are disproportionately concentrated in later childhood, potentially limiting the country’s ability to maximise lifelong outcomes.

The report, Unlocking Potential Early: Rebalancing Public Spending for Children in Ghana, shows that while Ghana has made significant progress in child wellbeing, spending patterns remain heavily tilted away from the years when investments yield the highest returns.

Children between ages 0 and 5 years receive just 13% of public spending on children despite accounting for roughly one-third of the country’s child population.

Compared with high-income countries, where spending is larger and concentrated earlier in life, Ghana spends relatively little overall and allocates a smaller share to prenatal and early childhood development.

The study notes that education absorbs the bulk of child-related expenditure, accounting for 3.1% of GDP in 2023. In contrast, social protection receives only 0.23% of GDP, health about 2%, and child protection 0.03%.

Despite these spending imbalances, Ghana has outperformed the Sub-Saharan African average in several key indicators. Immunisation coverage stands at 95%, compared to the regional average of 74%, under-five mortality is nearly half the regional average, and pre-primary enrolment is among the highest in the region at 88.1%.

However, challenges remain in child poverty, nutrition, birth registration and protection against violence.

Speaking at the presentation of the findings, lead researcher Dominic Richardson cautioned that inadequate investment in key areas weakens the overall support system for children.

“If you don’t have healthcare systems, some children will be too sick to go to school. When you don’t have child protection, more children end up in child labour,” he said.

The report argues that balanced investments across social protection, healthcare, childcare, nutrition and education are necessary to break cycles of disadvantage.

Mr. Richardson said implementing Ghana’s newly approved Early Childhood Care and Development Policy and introducing a universal child benefit scheme would provide a pathway toward more equitable outcomes.

UNICEF estimates that increasing and rebalancing spending to about 7.2% of GDP could deliver transformative results, including eliminating child poverty within three years, preventing up to 18,000 premature child deaths, reducing stunting, achieving near-universal birth registration and ensuring more children enter school ready to learn.

The agency says the current implementation of the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy presents a unique opportunity for Ghana to align public spending with its commitments to children and become a model for the rest of Africa.
A new UNICEF study has found that Ghana’s investments in children are arriving too late and are disproportionately concentrated in later childhood, potentially limiting the country’s ability to maximise lifelong outcomes.

The report, Unlocking Potential Early: Rebalancing Public Spending for Children in Ghana, shows that while Ghana has made significant progress in child wellbeing, spending patterns remain heavily tilted away from the years when investments yield the highest returns.

Children between ages 0 and 5 years receive just 13% of public spending on children despite accounting for roughly one-third of the country’s child population.

Compared with high-income countries, where spending is larger and concentrated earlier in life, Ghana spends relatively little overall and allocates a smaller share to prenatal and early childhood development.

The study notes that education absorbs the bulk of child-related expenditure, accounting for 3.1% of GDP in 2023. In contrast, social protection receives only 0.23% of GDP, health about 2%, and child protection 0.03%.

Despite these spending imbalances, Ghana has outperformed the Sub-Saharan African average in several key indicators. Immunisation coverage stands at 95%, compared to the regional average of 74%, under-five mortality is nearly half the regional average, and pre-primary enrolment is among the highest in the region at 88.1%.

However, challenges remain in child poverty, nutrition, birth registration and protection against violence.

Speaking at the presentation of the findings, lead researcher Dominic Richardson cautioned that inadequate investment in key areas weakens the overall support system for children.

“If you don’t have healthcare systems, some children will be too sick to go to school. When you don’t have child protection, more children end up in child labour,” he said.

The report argues that balanced investments across social protection, healthcare, childcare, nutrition and education are necessary to break cycles of disadvantage.

,Mr. Richardson said implementing Ghana’s newly approved Early Childhood Care and Development Policy and introducing a universal child benefit scheme would provide a pathway toward more equitable outcomes.

UNICEF estimates that increasing and rebalancing spending to about 7.2% of GDP could deliver transformative results, including eliminating child poverty within three years, preventing up to 18,000 premature child deaths, reducing stunting, achieving near-universal birth registration and ensuring more children enter school ready to learn.

The agency says the current implementation of the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy presents a unique opportunity for Ghana to align public spending with its commitments to children and become a model for the rest of Africa.