Dr Audrey Smock Amoah
The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, has called for stronger policy coherence and coordinated action to improve outcomes for children and adolescents, stressing that their wellbeing is fundamental to Ghana’s sustainable development.
Speaking at the close of the Government of Ghana–UNICEF Strategic Planning Retreat in Akosomboon Wednesday (28 January), Dr Amoah said the retreat reaffirmed that investing in children is both a constitutional obligation and a critical development imperative.
She noted that participants identified priority areas requiring accelerated action, including reducing maternal, child and neonatal mortality, tackling stunting, anaemia and open defecation, improving foundational learning, addressing child labour and young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), ending child marriage and adolescent pregnancy, achieving universal birth registration, and strengthening social protection systems.
Dr Amoah emphasised that progress in these areas cannot be achieved through fragmented interventions, but through coordinated, multi-sectoral approaches aligned with national priorities under the Resetting Ghana Agenda.
She reaffirmed the NDPC’s commitment to providing leadership in planning, coordination and monitoring to ensure that the outcomes of the retreat translate into measurable results.
She added that investing in children and adolescents is an investment in Ghana’s future productivity, equity and stability, urging stakeholders to act collectively to ensure that no child is left behind.
