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The CRC Echoes our Concerns and Recommendations on Ghana
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has released its Concluding Observations on Ghana’s combined sixth and seventh periodic reports, expressing some concerns and issuing recommendations that strongly reflect those included in the submission we filed based on our report Prioritising People in Fiscal Policy: Challenging Austerity, Reclaiming Public Services and Upholding Human Rights in Ghana.
On debt and underfunding as cross-cutting issues
The CRC expressed concern about significant declines in other public spending on children’s policies, especially given the increased child population and inflation, the absence of a dedicated budget line for implementing the Convention, and the high share of national revenue devoted to debt servicing. The CRC recommended that Ghana establish safeguards to ensure that debt servicing and restructuring do not affect essential spending for children and to protect them, to the extent possible, during an economic crisis.
On education
The CRC further recognised that the quality of education remained inadequate and marked by regional disparities, the lack of basic facilities, the development of unchecked private schools, and the absence of monitoring and supervision. It is recommended that Ghana enhance monitoring of public and private schools and improve public school infrastructure, with appropriate operations and maintenance.
While we welcome increased investment in Senior Secondary Education, the CRC reiterated our concern about reduced overall spending on the education sector, which led to reduced allocations to primary education and significant delays in the payment of teachers' salaries. The CRC recommended that Ghana continue investing in education to achieve a balance between primary and secondary education, ensure full free primary education for all children, and sustain increased access to secondary education, with particular attention to remote, rural, and disadvantaged areas and poor and vulnerable populations.
On healthcare
The CRC recommended that Ghana safeguard adequate resources to ensure access to good-quality healthcare, including an adequate number of trained healthcare personnel. It also advised the country to prioritise programmes aimed at achieving universal health coverage, improving the quality of care, strengthening healthcare infrastructure, training and recruiting doctors and healthcare personnel, and ensuring their equitable distribution across the country.
These recommendations reaffirm that adequately financing quality public services is essential to achieving human rights. And they can bring about meaningful improvements in the lives of children in Ghana if implemented. We will continue to track the state’s progress and work to ensure that these recommendations are reflected in concrete policy reforms, budgetary choices, and better service delivery.
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