As part of activities marking the 2025 Day of the African Child (DAC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the Kaduna State Government to increase investment in children to achieve greater developmental outcomes.
The theme of this year’s celebration was ‘Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010’.
Dr Gerida Birukila, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office in Kaduna, made the appeal during a high-level stakeholder engagement convened by the State Budget and Planning Commission (PBC), with support from UNICEF, on Tuesday in Kaduna.
Birukila reminded attendees of the historical background of the Day of the African Child, which commemorates the 1976 Soweto uprising in South Africa.
She highlighted persistent challenges faced by children in Kaduna, including high rates of out-of-school children, low birth registration, and widespread multidimensional poverty.
According to her, child welfare indicators in Kaduna remain worrisome.
Birukila disclosed that “nearly 30 per cent of primary school-age children and over 50 per cent of those in secondary school are out-of-school.” She also noted that “only 54.5 per cent of children under five have birth registration, while just 41 per cent of infants receive exclusive breastfeeding.”
While commending the state for recent increases in budgetary allocations to education, health, and social protection, she emphasised the need for tangible outcomes.
“Financial commitments often fall short of what’s needed to truly transform children’s lives, especially amid shrinking aid and tight fiscal space,” she said.
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Mr Mukhtar Ahmed, the Commissioner of the Planning and Budget Commission, stated that the objectives of the event included increasing political will for funding child-focused services.
According to him, the forum also aimed to “raise awareness about child-friendly budgeting, and promote children’s participation in financial planning.”
Ahmed also announced that television and radio programmes hosted by students would be broadcast to further disseminate the day’s key messages.
He underscored the significance of the theme in encouraging reflection and renewed commitment.
“We acknowledged in 2010 that in spite of our intentions, realisation of children’s rights was hindered by resource limitations and lack of inclusive planning. Today’s engagement is a chance to evaluate progress, and more importantly, chart a bold way forward,” he said.
The event brought together policymakers, civil society organisations, development partners, and students including out-of-school children.
The programme featured a review of child-focused budget performance in Kaduna State from 2020 to 2025, examining trends in allocations and their impact on child development indicators.
Participants also advocated for regular children’s rights impact assessments, improved disaggregated data collection, and the creation of an accountability framework to monitor budget implementation for child welfare.
At the close of the event, stakeholders expressed optimism that the engagement would foster stronger commitments from MDAs, more inclusive budgeting processes, and improved outcomes for children in the state.
