UNICEF has praised Ghana’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, highlighting the country’s Budget execution and tracking system.
At the launch of Ghana’s 2023 SDG Budget and Expenditure Report, UNICEF noted that the system—used by only a few countries worldwide, places Ghana among global leaders in transparent SDG investment tracking.
The report revealed that SDG-related spending increased from GH₵83 billion in 2022 to GH₵180 billion in 2023, covering health, education, social protection, and human capital development.
“There are very few countries that have been brave enough to take this step to really have this kind of accountability tool in place. It’s laudable that the Ministry of Finance is a frontrunner in this,” said Ms Paulina Sarvilahti, Chief of Social Policy and Inclusion at UNICEF Ghana.
Ms Sarvilahti acknowledged global challenges like climate change and economic pressures but said Ghana’s data-driven approach would accelerate progress. She also praised the report’s inclusion of child-specific indicators for the first time and called for more integrated planning and targeted interventions.
UNICEF’s Country Representative, Mr Osama Makiawi Khogali, commended Ghana for ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 and called for stronger action on poverty, noting that 73 percent of Ghanaian children are affected by multidimensional poverty.
Mr Isaac Fraikue, Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance, expressed confidence that Ghana will meet its SDG targets by 2030. “Developing the report is more than just tagging and tracking budgetary applications. It reflects our resolve to ensure no one is left behind,” he said, adding that future efforts will focus on localising the reports and deepening stakeholder engagement.
