Vice President Opoku-Agyemang: Protecting children is Ghana’s defining test
Vice President Professor Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has delivered a strong warning that Ghana’s future will be compromised if the nation fails to prioritise the protection and development of its children.
Her remarks, made at both a national planning retreat and a public forum, underscored a consistent message: children are not just beneficiaries of today’s policies, but the very foundation of Ghana’s tomorrow. “Our discussions reaffirmed a simple truth: if we fail our children today, we fail Ghana tomorrow,” she told participants at the retreat organised by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) in collaboration with UNICEF Ghana.
At the public forum, she sharpened the point further: “Every child denied protection today becomes a national failure tomorrow.”
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang argued that the true measure of Ghana’s progress lies in how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. She warned that neglect, poor education, abuse, and lack of opportunity will leave scars that last for generations. Poverty and broken homes, she noted, are already forcing many children into adult responsibilities far too early, disrupting their education and growth.
The Vice President listed child labour, trafficking, streetism, and abuse among the growing threats to child welfare. She cautioned that if these challenges are not addressed, they could undermine Ghana’s social and economic development.
In response, she highlighted reforms such as the Care Reform Roadmap, which prioritises family-based care over institutionalisation, and the Digital Social Services initiative, designed to strengthen child protection through better coordination and accountability. Other programmes include adolescent safe spaces, community-based prevention initiatives, and the Ghana Against Child Abuse campaign.
She also emphasised the importance of early childhood investment, describing the zero-to-eight age bracket as critical for harnessing Ghana’s demographic dividend. “These efforts reflect our firm belief that Ghana’s future growth depends on how well we protect and invest in our children today,” she said.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stressed that safeguarding children cannot be left to government alone. She called on parents, traditional leaders, religious institutions, schools, civil society, and the private sector to share responsibility. “Protecting children today is not optional,” she declared. “It is a national duty that determines whether Ghana will succeed or struggle tomorrow.”
The Vice President concluded by urging stronger collaboration and robust systems to track commitments. She insisted that child-centred policies must be embedded in all national planning frameworks and backed by enforcement. “The protection of children should be more than just a written policy but something that is visible at all levels of society,” she said.
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