Every year on 16 June, African governments and partners commemorate the Day of the African Child (DAC), honoring the courage of the children of Soweto who, in 1976, stood against injustice and demanded their right to quality education. Fifty years later, African children around the continent continue to call on governments, institutions, and communities to move beyond promises and deliver meaningful investments that protect and advance their rights.
The 2025 Day of the African Child theme, “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010,” provided a timely opportunity to evaluate whether African governments have translated commitments into concrete action for children. The theme revisited the continental conversation first initiated in 2010, challenging Member States of the African Union to assess how effectively children’s needs have been integrated into national planning and budgeting processes.
Over the past fifteen years, Africa has witnessed notable progress. Some countries have enacted child protection laws, expanded access to primary education, strengthened immunization programmes, and introduced social protection mechanisms targeting vulnerable households.
Yet, the 2025 theme revealed an uncomfortable reality: commitments have often outpaced investments. While some countries have developed child-focused policies, budget allocations dedicated specifically to children’s rights remain insufficient, inconsistent, or difficult to track. Millions of African children still experience poverty, limited access to quality education, inadequate healthcare, violence, and exclusion.
For Liberia, the review of progress since 2010 presents a picture of both resilience and unfinished business. Liberia has undertaken some reforms aimed at improving child well-being. The country has strengthened its legal and policy frameworks, including measures to combat gender-based violence, promote inclusive education, and enhance child protection services.
Liberia has also demonstrated growing recognition of children and their voices during national celebrations. However, persistent challenges continue to limit the full realization of children’s rights. High levels of child poverty, inadequate social service coverage, and limited public financing remain pressing concerns, with sectors critical to children’s development competing for scarce resources. The question therefore remains: Are budgets truly reflecting Liberia’s commitment to its children?
Answering this question requires more than examining expenditure figures. In the approved 2025 National Budget, the Government of Liberia allocated approximately $101 million for the education sector and $91.3 million for health.
It demands an assessment of whether public resources are reaching the children who need them most—those living in rural communities, children with disabilities, children separated from parental care, adolescent girls facing early pregnancy, and children affected by poverty and exclusion.
Investing in children should not be viewed as an expenditure to be minimized but as a strategic investment in Liberia’s future human capital, social stability, and economic prosperity.
As we reflect on the lessons of DAC 2025, attention is already shifting toward this year’s theme: “Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa.” The theme recognizes that access to clean water, safe sanitation facilities, and proper hygiene practices is not merely a development objective; it is a fundamental child right and a prerequisite for survival, health, dignity, and educational attainment. The ACERWC has emphasized the importance of equitable and sustainable access to WASH services for all children across the continent.
For Liberia, this theme is particularly significant. Despite progress in expanding access to improved water sources and sanitation services, many communities continue to face serious WASH challenges. Schools without adequate sanitation facilities impact children’s health and learning outcomes, particularly for adolescent girls. Limited access to safe drinking water contributes to preventable diseases that disproportionately impact children under five years of age. Rural communities often experience the greatest burden, highlighting persistent inequalities in service delivery.
The economic cost of inaction is substantial. Poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene contribute to increased healthcare expenditures, reduced school attendance, diminished productivity, and preventable child deaths. Conversely, investing in WASH generates far-reaching benefits: healthier children, improved educational outcomes, enhanced dignity and protection, and stronger, more resilient communities. The cost of providing universal access may be significant, but the cost of failing to act is far greater.
As Liberia commemorates another Day of the African Child, one message resonates clearly: children’s rights must move from policy documents to national budgets and from budget lines to tangible outcomes. The future envisioned in Agenda 2030 cannot be achieved if millions of African and Liberian children remain excluded from quality education, adequate healthcare, social protection, and basic services such as clean water and sanitation. To secure Liberia’s future, we must turn ambition into action. Child welfare and development in ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID 2025–2029 are not a choice—they’re a necessity.
The Day of the African Child is therefore more than a remembrance; it is a call to accountability. Governments must prioritize child-sensitive budgeting, strengthen justice systems, expand partnerships that support service delivery, and ensure that children themselves participate in decisions that shape their futures.
Africa’s children cannot wait for better times. Their rights require action today. Planning without adequate financing is insufficient. Budgeting without implementation is ineffective. True progress will be measured not by the promises made at national celebration and in conference rooms but by the reality experienced in classrooms, health centres, households, and communities across the continent.
As Liberia joins the rest of Africa in commemorating the Day of the African Child, there is an opportunity to reaffirm a simple yet powerful truth: every investment in children is an investment in the nation’s future. By placing children at the centre of planning, budgeting, and service delivery, Liberia and Africa can build a continent where every child survives, learns, is protected, and thrives.
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