The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has inaugurated the National Inter-Sectoral Early Childhood Care and Development Committee (NIEC) to drive the implementation of Ghana’s Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Policy, 2025.
The committee, chaired by the Chief Director of the Ministry, is tasked with providing a coordinated national framework to enhance the growth, health, and wellbeing of children from conception up to eight years of age.
The inauguration event, which took place on Tuesday, 29th September 2026, brought together key stakeholders from across government ministries, departments, agencies, development partners, civil society organisations, and the private sector.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, highlighted that the committee’s creation marks a decisive transition from policy commitments to direct, coordinated execution. She stressed that early childhood investments are vital to the country’s long-term human resource development, as the initial years shape physical health, emotional balance, cognitive capacity, social conduct, and lifelong learning.
Dr. Naa Momo Lartey noted that the updated ECCD Policy adopts a comprehensive “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” framework. The strategy centers on six core pillars under the global Nurturing Care Framework: health, nutrition, early learning, responsive caregiving, safety, and inclusion.
She outlined that the NIEC will align diverse sectoral plans, eliminate gaps and overlaps in service delivery, enhance data collection and analysis, foster joint planning, and continuously track progress against national targets.
Prior to taking the Oath of Office and Oath of Secrecy, members received an orientation on the ECCD Policy framework and their operational mandate from Pearl Peters, Head of the Early Childhood Care and Development Unit.
Dr. Naa Momo Lartey commended the newly sworn-in committee members and challenged them to leverage their expertise to ensure services penetrate every region, district, and community, with particular emphasis on vulnerable and disadvantaged children. She further directed the establishment of Regional as well as Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Inter-Sectoral ECCD Committees (MMDECC) to guarantee smooth sub-national coordination.
” The structures have been established, and the time to act is now,” the Minister said, urging members to focus on practical interventions that would deliver measurable improvements in the lives of Ghana’s youngest citizens.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
