About 18,000 premature child deaths would be averted with 7.2% GDP investment — UNICEF

A new UNICEF study has raised concerns about Ghana’s public spending on children.

The study reveals that investment in early childhood remains too low and unevenly distributed.

The report says this pattern risks entrenching inequality from the earliest stages of life.

The findings are contained in a new analysis titled "Unlocking Potential Early: Rebalancing Public Spending for Children in Ghana."

It examines how government resources are allocated from pregnancy through age 17.

Despite Ghana recording strong performance in key child welfare indicators, the report says spending choices continue to disadvantage younger and poorer children.

“Children aged 0–5 receive only about 13% of total public spending on children, despite making up roughly one-third of the child population,” the study noted.

UNICEF said the imbalance in spending is reinforced by a structure that prioritises later childhood, particularly education, at the expense of early development needs.

The report further found that children from wealthier households receive almost twice the level of public investment compared to those from poorer homes, with rural-urban gaps also persisting in access to services.

“Children from the wealthiest households receive nearly twice as much public investment per capita as those from the poorest households,” it stated.

Despite these inequalities, Ghana was praised for relatively strong outcomes in areas such as immunisation coverage, under-five mortality reduction, and pre-primary education enrolment.

However, UNICEF cautioned that challenges persist in nutrition, child poverty, birth registration and protection from violence.

The study also highlights that public spending remains heavily concentrated in education, which accounts for about 3.1 per cent of GDP, while social protection, child protection and other key sectors receive significantly lower allocations.

UNICEF argues that shifting investments earlier in a child’s life would deliver stronger long-term outcomes and reduce inequality.

It further projects that a comprehensive investment package worth about 7.2 per cent of GDP could eliminate child poverty within three years, avert up to 18,000 child deaths, and achieve near-universal vaccination coverage and birth registration.

The report calls for accelerated implementation of Ghana’s Early Childhood Care and Development Policy (2025–2035) as a framework for more balanced and equitable investment in children.

"UNICEF modelling shows that a comprehensive, balanced package of investments, estimated at 7.2% of GDP could produce rapid and measurable gains: Child poverty would be eliminated within three years. Up to 18,000 premature child deaths would be averted," it noted.