UNICEF in Ghana
Children in Ghana are facing disease outbreaks, climate-driven disasters, disruptions to education and other challenges. Learn what UNICEF is doing to help improve children's lives and how to support these efforts.
Mounting challenges driving humanitarian needs in Ghana
There are many issues impacting children and families in Ghana. Natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, disruptions to education, and a range of health and nutrition challenges are affecting both refugee and host populations across the country.
Poverty is on the rise. A quarter of the nation's population is food insecure. Progress on improving child nutrition has stagnated.
Agricultural livelihoods in Ghana are especially susceptible to climate shocks such as droughts and floods, including a dry spell in 2024. In March the same year, two dams overflowed, displacing tens of thousands of people.
On average, Ghana faces an estimated $100 million loss in gross domestic product due to flooding each year.
Armed violence and related humanitarian crises in neighboring Burkina Faso to the north and other countries in the central Sahel region has increased the number of refugee families in Ghana, increasing the overall level of need for humanitarian assistance.
Working to bring students across Ghana back to school
Extreme weather events made more frequent by climate change are among the barriers to education for many children in Ghana. Floods and droughts disrupt learning by displacing students and leaving many children without a safe place to learn.
Across the country, about 1.2 million school-aged children are not attending lessons, including 7 percent of all primary school-aged children. The northern region of Ghana has the highest proportion of children not enrolled in school.
In 2023 alone, severe flooding forced the closure of over 100 schools across seven districts, impacting 34,000 children. In response, UNICEF worked to mobilize financing for relief efforts and supported the development of an Education in Emergency Contingency Plan.
Being out of school for long periods of time can increase a child's risk of physical and emotional harm, including sexual violence, straining their mental health. Out-of-school children in Ghana are also at risk of child labor, a significant child rights issue in the country related to its cocoa production.
In 2018, 21 percent of children aged 5-17 in Ghana were found to work in hazardous conditions. New data has not been collected since then. UNICEF, the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) and the International Cocoa Initiative have launched a public-private partnership committed to ending child labor practices in four cocoa-growing districts. The initiative aims include gathering evidence to support action to address the issue, while strengthening protections of children including improving access to services, employment opportunities and learning outcomes.
In partnership with local organizations, UNICEF has worked to improve and expand Ghana’s Complementary Basic Education (CBE) program designed to bring out-of-school children back into formal learning. These community-based 9-month classes focus on foundational literacy and skills.
UNICEF contributions include helping to strengthen class curricula and developing new phonics-based teaching materials in four indigenous languages to reach more children.
Improving quality of education for all students
To improve learning outcomes, especially in underserved and remote areas where student scores are below average, UNICEF is helping to improve the quality of instruction by helping to implement new learning models across 10,000 primary schools.
UNICEF has also helped the country adopt a more inclusive education policy, partnering with the Ministry of Education to ensure that children with special needs and children with disabilities aren't left behind.
Making progress in health and nutrition for children in Ghana
Nutrition and health issues plague children in Ghana from birth through early adulthood. Premature birth, infections and complications with delivery cause about 70 babies in the country to lose their lives each day.
During the first 1,000 days of life, 1 in 5 children experience stunted growth, caused by inadequate nourishment, frequent illness and unhealthy environments. Anemia remains a public health problem in Ghana, impacting nearly half of adolescent girls.
To help address these issues, UNICEF worked with the government to develop a national strategy and action plan around newborn health and has helped train community health workers to better identify the needs of children and to provide health and nutrition counseling and support to caregivers. UNICEF also supplies micronutrient powder to support a home fortification program.
With UNICEF's support, helping the government with the financing, procurement, management and dispensing of vaccines, Ghana has one of the world’s best performing immunization programs, resulting in vaccination coverage of nearly 96 percent.
When cases of cholera surged in 2024, UNICEF helped launch a home-based vaccination campaign to reach people in affected areas.
UNICEF steps up impact during crises and emergencies in Ghana
In times of crisis, UNICEF has stepped up to support the most vulnerable children and families in Ghana.
In response to the ongoing emergency in the Sahel, UNICEF focuses on building resilience within communities and responding quickly to the needs of refugees arriving in northern Ghana. Interventions include delivering safe water to communities hosting refugees, improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure in health facilities, and supporting schools.
In partnership with the Ghana Health Service, UNICEF also supported emergency immunizations and malnutrition screenings and treatment across four districts.
Following the Akosombo Dam spillage in October 2023, UNICEF provided essential supplies for those displaced by the flooding including WASH kits, health and nutrition items.
UNICEF also helped to establish the National Child Protection in Emergency Working Group to strengthen governmental coordination and ensure a timely response on child protection issues during national emergencies in Ghana.
As always, UNICEF prioritizes assessing and responding to the protection, health and nutrition needs of children affected by emergencies.
Learn more about what UNICEF does to support and protect children around the world.