By: Fatou Krubally
The UN children agency, UNICEF has urged The Gambia to prioritise public financing for children, warning that continued underinvestment is putting millions of young lives at risk.
Speaking on the ‘Day of the African Child’ commemoration, UNICEF Country Representative Nafisa Binte Shafique called on government leaders to match their commitments to children’s rights with tangible budgetary support.
“Promises to children must be backed by action and by budgets,” she said, noting that while The Gambia has made progress since 2010 in child health, education, and legal protections, more than 90% of Gambian children still face multiple forms of deprivation.
Shafique referenced recent data from the Gambia Bureau of Statistics showing that a majority of children still lack access to clean water, proper nutrition, safe learning spaces, and protection from violence.
“Budgets are often stretched, but children must not be overlooked,” she said. “Children and adolescents make up close to 54% of The Gambia’s population. This is not a burden it’s our greatest opportunity.”
UNICEF called for increased budget allocations to key child-focused sectors, including education, health, nutrition, social welfare, and child protection. The agency also recommended the adoption of child-sensitive budgeting frameworks, strong monitoring systems, and transparent use of funds.
In addition, Shafique urged the creation of inclusive spaces for children’s participation in national planning, especially the most vulnerable including girls, children with disabilities, and those in institutional care or street situations.
She stressed that every dalasi invested in children contributes to peace, resilience, and national prosperity.
Referencing The Gambia’s national motto “Progress, Peace, Prosperity” Shafique said these goals cannot be achieved without sustained investment in the country’s youngest population.
“Every child reached is a life uplifted,” she said. “Let us keep building a better world by investing in children today and for days to come.”
UNICEF reaffirmed its long-standing partnership with The Gambia and pledged continued support to ensure every child’s rights are fulfilled.
The Day of the African Child is observed annually on June 16, commemorating the 1976 Soweto student uprising and calling for improved policies for children across the continent.
