The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has inaugurated a National Inter-Sectoral Early Childhood Care and Development Committee (NIEC) to strengthen coordination and drive the implementation of Ghana’s Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Policy, 2025.

The committee, inaugurated on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, brought together representatives from Ministries, Departments and Agencies, development partners, the private sector and civil society.

Chaired by the Chief Director of the Ministry, the committee is expected to provide a coordinated national framework for promoting the development and wellbeing of children from conception to eight years.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, said the committee was established to move the ECCD Policy from commitments to coordinated action.

She stressed the importance of investing in the early years, noting that this period lays the foundation for children’s physical health, emotional wellbeing, cognitive development, social behaviour and lifelong learning.

“The early years of a child’s life provide the foundation for physical health, emotional wellbeing, cognitive development, social behaviour and lifelong learning,” she said.

Dr Lartey explained that the ECCD Policy adopts a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, with interventions centred on six areas under the Nurturing Care Framework: health, nutrition, early learning, responsive caregiving, safety and inclusion.

She said the NIEC would harmonise ECCD plans and interventions, identify gaps and overlaps in service delivery, strengthen the collection and use of data, facilitate joint planning and track progress in implementing ECCD priorities.

Members of the committee were taken through an overview of the ECCD Policy and the mandate of the NIEC by the Head of the Early Childhood Care and Development Unit, Pearl Peters.

The Minister subsequently administered the Oath of Office and Oath of Secrecy to the newly appointed members.

Congratulating the members on their appointment, Dr Lartey urged them to bring their expertise and institutional knowledge to bear on the committee’s work to ensure that ECCD services reach children across all regions, districts and communities.

She placed particular emphasis on vulnerable and disadvantaged children, saying they must remain a priority in the implementation of the policy.

The Minister also called for the establishment of Regional and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Inter-Sectoral ECCD Committees to strengthen coordination and implementation at the sub-national level.

“The structures have been established, and the time to act is now,” Dr Lartey said.

She urged members to focus on practical interventions capable of delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Ghana’s youngest citizens.

The inauguration forms part of efforts by the Ministry to strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration and ensure that early childhood development remains a shared national priority.