Early Childhood Development Officer

Ghana is a peaceful, stable, multi-party democracy and a lower-middle-income country. The nation experienced steady socioeconomic development progress until 2020. Children under 18 comprise a significant portion of the population. Urbanization is a continuing trend. Disparities exist between regions, particularly regarding poverty. Many children in Ghana experience multidimensional and monetary poverty. In addition to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, several ongoing challenges, including health concerns, increased exposure to climate change, and regional security risks, pose threats to child well-being and overall development. The national medium-term development policy framework prioritizes areas such as economic growth, urbanization and infrastructure, digitalization, science, technology, innovation, pandemic preparedness, public health, climate change, emergency preparedness, and youth empowerment.

In Ghana, UNICEF cooperates with the Government and other partners to defend the rights of children and help them fulfil their potential. With offices in Accra and Tamale, the UNICEF team seeks to achieve results in strategic programme areas. The overall goal is for every child to survive and thrive, to live in a safe and clean environment, to learn, to be protected from violence and exploitation, and to have an equitable chance in life. The current Country Programme of cooperation is aligned with the Government priorities, the UN Sustainable Development Partnership (UNSDP), and Key Results for Children (KRCs) in the West and Central African Region (immunization, nutrition, learning outcomes, ending child marriage, and ending open defecation). UNICEF main strategies include Social protection and public financing for children, Advocacy and partnership, Social and Behavior Change and Innovation, Evidence and Knowledge management.

Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a critical foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2, 3, 4, and 10, which aim to ensure all children have access to quality early childhood development, and care. Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in Ghana is recognised as a foundation for human capital development, yet significant gaps remain in access, quality, and coordination. While policies such as the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy, and the integration of kindergarten into the basic education system demonstrate the government's commitment, implementation has been uneven. Many children, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities, face barriers to quality early learning, nutrition, health, and protection services. Coordination across sectors-including health, education, nutrition, and social protection-remains fragmented, and investment in ECCD is insufficient to meet growing demand. Data gaps and limited public awareness also constrain advocacy for stronger policy and budgetary prioritization. Strengthening ECCD in Ghana is therefore critical to ensuring all children reach their full potential and contribute to the country's long-term social and economic development.
In Ghana, UNICEF and partners are working with the Government to strengthen coordination, advocacy, evidence generation, and public engagement to advance the ECCD agenda.
To strengthen these efforts, a volunteer will be engaged to provide technical and coordination support across advocacy, partnerships, evidence generation, and program design for ECCD.
UNICE Ghana is committed to improving child development outcomes by implementing evidence-based programs, policies, and partnerships and strengthening the coordination between relevant sectors.
To support these efforts, UNICEF Ghana seeks the support of a UNV to provide technical and coordination support across key priority areas, including evidence generation to inform advocacy, social and behavior change interventions, coordination across key sectors and program monitoring. The UNV will also assist in donor reporting, proposal development, and administrative coordination to ensure the effective and timely delivery of planned activities.

a) Program implementation and support
Support the development of a national advocacy strategy for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD).
Contribute to the design and implementation of the "I Will" campaign to increase public and stakeholder engagement on ECCD.
Actively monitor ECD programmes/projects through field visits, exchange of information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.

b) Coordination Support
Support building and sustaining effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate program implementation
Build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on ECD programs/projects
Participate in technical working groups and inter-agency platforms related to early childhood development (ECD)

c) Data and Evidence
Support data collection, analysis, and visualization for ECCD indicators.
Contribute to evidence generation efforts, including desk reviews, briefs, and case studies on ECCD in Ghana.

d) Resource Mobilisation
Provide inputs for donor proposals, concept notes, and reports related to ECCD programming