Ghana spending too little on children under 5 despite high poverty levels – UNICEF report

• UNICEF says children under five receive only 13% of public spending on children despite facing the highest poverty levels.

• The report warns that delayed investment in early childhood is limiting development and worsening inequality.

• UNICEF Ghana's Chief of Social Policy and Inclusion, Pauliina Sarvilahti, has called for urgent action to prioritise spending on young children.

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The report, titled Unlocking Potential Early: Rebalancing Public Spending for Children in Ghana 2026, argues that public investment is arriving "too little and too late in the child's life course", missing the most critical years for development and limiting efforts to break cycles of intergenerational poverty.

“Evidence reveals that Ghana’s youngest and poorest children receive a fraction of the public investment accessed by their older and wealthier peers,” the brief states, adding that effective implementation of Ghana’s Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Policy 2025–2035 could help reverse the trend.

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According to the analysis, Ghana allocates significantly less funding to early childhood development than many high-income countries, where an average of 28.8% of child-related spending is directed towards the prenatal and early childhood period.

Apart from healthcare services and limited kindergarten provision for children aged four to five, investment in the earliest years remains low. UNICEF notes that there are currently “no statutory cash transfers reaching families around birth”.

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The report found that public spending is heavily concentrated on education for older children, reflecting a broader Sub-Saharan African pattern where education accounts for the vast majority of government expenditure on children.

While Ghana performs strongly in areas such as immunisation coverage, which stands at 95%, and pre-primary enrolment at 88.1%, challenges remain in nutrition, birth registration and child protection.

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The brief also highlights significant inequalities in spending. Children from the wealthiest households receive nearly twice as much public investment per capita as those from the poorest households, estimated at approximately US$1,189 compared with just over US$500 purchasing power parity (PPP) annually.

Addressing journalists at the launch of the report on 18 June, UNICEF Ghana's Chief of Social Policy and Inclusion, Pauliina Sarvilahti, called for urgent action to increase investment in young children, stressing that early childhood development must become a national priority if Ghana is to tackle poverty and inequality effectively.

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UNICEF estimates that a comprehensive package of child-focused policies, including universal child grants, parental leave, childcare services, nutrition programmes and parenting support, would cost between 6.5% and 7.2% of GDP.

The report argues that such investment could cut child poverty by half within two years and eliminate it within three years, while also improving nutrition, reducing child mortality and boosting school readiness.

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“Every cedi invested in children matters most when it is spent equitably, at the right time, in the right place, and on the right policy portfolio to change outcomes for children at scale, reduce deprivation, and unlock opportunity,” the report states.

Among its recommendations are expanding the LEAP programme towards universal child grants, introducing statutory parental leave, expanding quality childcare for children aged zero to three, and strengthening child protection systems.

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UNICEF also calls for increasing the share of spending on children aged zero to five from the current 10.9% to 34.3% of total child expenditure.

As Ghana implements its new ECCD Policy, the report urges policymakers to align public investment with the country's long-standing commitment to giving every child the best possible start in life.