Ghana, UNICEF strengthen partnership to advance child protection

Ghana and UNICEF have pledged to deepen their partnership to safeguard children and empower adolescent girls across the nation. During a private meeting in New York, the Ghanaian Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, discussed this strengthened collaboration with top UNICEF officials on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

The conversation centered on tackling critical issues impacting children and adolescents, such as child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, birth registration, and protection of vulnerable girls.

They also brainstormed methods to enhance birth registration systems to better identify vulnerable children, improve access to protective services, and deter child marriage. The duo examined how a robust birth registration system could identify at-risk children, enhance access to critical services, and aid in preventing child marriage.

Another key topic was the Livelihood Empowerment and Productive Inclusion Programme (LEPIP), a collaborative effort between the Government of Ghana and UNICEF aimed at supporting out-of-school, vulnerable, and at-risk adolescent girls and young mothers aged 16 to 21. This initiative integrates social protection, financial inclusion, life skills, access to essential services, and livelihood support to help participants move from skill-building to sustainable income generation.

Dr Lartey and the UNICEF team also deliberated on enhancing Ghana's social protection systems, with a focus on strategies for identifying and aiding vulnerable households, including those with pregnant women.