Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has delivered a keynote address on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama at the high-level launch of the State of Africa’s Children Report 2026 in New York.

The launch, held on September 23, 2026, at UNICEF House on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, focused on the rights, wellbeing and development of children across Africa, with particular attention to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and their impact on children’s health, education, protection and development.

Delivering the President’s address, Dr Lartey said the report provides an important opportunity for African countries to assess whether they are doing enough to ensure that every child, particularly the girl child, has an equal opportunity to survive, learn, develop, participate and fulfil their potential.

She stressed that access to clean water, safe sanitation and hygiene is fundamental to the wellbeing and dignity of children, noting that women and girls continue to bear a disproportionate burden of inadequate access to water and sanitation.

“Women and girls continue to bear a disproportionate burden of inadequate access to water and sanitation,” Dr Lartey said, calling for greater attention to the challenges as part of Africa’s broader gender and development agenda.

The Minister also highlighted Ghana’s Revolving Fund for Sanitation, which the report features as an example of innovative, home-grown sanitation financing.

She stressed the importance of evidence-based interventions and sustainable financing to address sanitation challenges across the continent.

Speaking in her capacity as the President’s representative and on behalf of Ghana as the African Union Champion for Gender and Development, Dr Lartey reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to strengthening gender-responsive child development planning, protecting girls’ right to education, improving water and sanitation, strengthening social protection and investing in adolescent girls as active participants and agents of development.

She also called for adequate financing, reliable data, measurable indicators and stronger accountability to ensure that commitments to Africa’s children translate into tangible improvements in their lives.

Dr Lartey welcomed the African Union’s decision to institutionalise the State of Africa’s Children Report as an annual publication, saying the report would provide a consistent body of evidence to guide policies, influence budgets, strengthen partnerships and hold Member States accountable for progress on issues affecting children.

She urged African countries, the African Union, UNICEF and development partners to translate the report’s findings into concrete action, stressing that the wellbeing and rights of children must remain a defining measure of Africa’s development progress.