Theme: Strengthening Foundations – Prioritising Early Childhood Development in Ghana

Story by Fati Ali

The Member of Parliament for Krachi West Constituency, Hon. Helen Adjoa Ntoso, has stressed the importance of investing in early childhood development, describing it as the foundation for a child’s holistic growth. She made these remarks during the launch of an early childhood development initiative held in Accra on 26 February 2026.

According to the MP, a child’s development begins from infancy — from the baby room stage through toddlerhood, preschool and into primary school. She noted that proper care and monitoring during the early years, particularly from ages zero to three, are critical in identifying learning disabilities such as autism, hearing impairment and speech difficulties. Early detection, she explained, allows for timely intervention and better long-term outcomes.

Hon. Ntoso compared Ghana’s system to that of the United Kingdom, where significant resources are invested in early childhood education to build solid foundations. She cited the example of trained nursery nurses who keep detailed developmental records of children from the baby room stage through primary school. These records, she said, help teachers track progress and tailor learning to each child’s needs. In contrast, she observed that in Ghana, children often move from nursery to primary school without proper documentation of their developmental history.

She called for the newly launched policy to be fully operationalised, with adequate resources allocated to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Gender to ensure effective implementation. She expressed confidence that President John Dramani Mahama would support the initiative to ensure consistency in child development policies.

The MP further emphasised the need for trained early childhood educators, noting that teaching young children requires patience and specialised skills. She highlighted four key areas of learning — building skillful, strong, healthful children and effective communicators — which must be carefully monitored through play and structured learning.

She concluded by urging parents and teachers to observe children closely during play to identify their interests and talents, stressing that early support is essential to helping every child reach their full potential.