Last year's Day of the African Child theme was Planning and Budgeting for Children's Rights: Progress Since 2010. It 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, we have witnessed progress. 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 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 commemorations.
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. It demands an assessment of whether public resources are reaching the children who need them most — those living in rural communities, with disabilities, without parental care, affected by violence, early pregnancy, 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 the 2026 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 and health. 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 schools and communities continue to face serious WASH challenges. The economic cost of inaction is substantial. Poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene contribute to increased healthcare expenditures and preventable child deaths. Conversely, investing in WASH generates far-reaching benefits: healthier children, improved educational outcomes, enhanced protection and stronger, more resilient communities. The cost of providing universal access may be high, 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 within the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID 2025–2029) are not a choice — they are 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 celebrations and in conference rooms but by the reality experienced in classrooms, health centers, households and communities across the continent.