Rwanda ranks sixth in Africa child-friendly country report

Rwanda is among top 10 countries in Africa that are “most child-friendly,” according to the new flagship report by The African Child Policy Forum (ACPF).ACPF is an independent, not-for-profit, pan-African institution of policy research and dialogue on the African child.The report, released yesterday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is titled “The African Report on Child Wellbeing 2013: Towards Greater Accountability to Africa’s Children.” It analyses and ranks the performance of 52 African governments in a Child-Friendly Index, comparing progress since the first ranking in 2008.Rwanda up five placesMauritius pipped South Africa to the “most child-friendly” country on the continent, with Tunisia, Egypt and Cape Verde taking the next three slots. Rwanda moved up five places from the 11th position it occupied in 2008, with Lesotho, Algeria, Swaziland and Morocco completing the top 10 spots.The “least child-friendly” countries in the survey are Chad, Eritrea, Sao Tome and Principe, Zimbabwe, Comoros, Central African Republic, Cameroon, DR Congo, and Mauritania, most of them under-investing in education and health. War-torn Somalia, newly-founded South Sudan and Western Sahara were not included in the ranking.The new figures, released after five years, show that Africa has become a better place for children compared to five years ago, and improving child wellbeing does not necessarily depend on the wealth of the country. “The relationship between the level of a country’s wealth and its score on the child-friendliness index shows no obvious association. Countries with relatively low GDP per capita such as Rwanda, Lesotho, Togo and Malawi scored high, while those with relatively high GDP per capita, including Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Namibia and Congo Brazzaville scored poorly,” reads part of the report. Basis of the IndexThe Child Friendliness Index is based on 44 indicators that measure government’s commitment to the protection of their children, provision for their children’s basic needs and the participation of children in decisions that affect them.Responding to the index, yesterday, Zaina Nyiramatama, the executive secretary of the National Commission for Children (NCC), told this paper that the ranking is not a surprise because Rwanda has done what it takes to provide conducive environment for the wellbeing of children.“I am excited with the results. This shows how our country’s efforts to promote the rights of children are recognised across the continent. Our target now is to provide the best environment for our children overall,” Nyiramatama said.Rwanda has children’s forum in place that forms a leadership committee which is part of the government’s agenda to include children in all issues that affect their lives.The country has also invested heavily in education for all children where net primary school attendance is at 91.7 per cent, according to UNDP MDGs Progress and the macroeconomic state of Rwanda, 2012.The government launched the 12-Year Basic Education programme in 2012 to enhance net secondary school attendance.“Looking back at the performance of African governments over the past five years, there are positive signs that Africa has started its long journey towards being a continent fit for children,” said Joachim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique and chairperson of the ACPF Board of Trustees.“More and more governments are allocating a larger share of their budgets to sectors that have a direct impact on children including health and education, and most governments are taking steps to enhance the legal protection of children from abuse and exploitation,” Chissano said.The Index also reveals countries that have most-improved over the past five years. Swaziland rose 36 places from 45th to join the top 10 best performers, Gambia (jumping 29 places) and Liberia (moving up 20 places).Countries that dropped in terms of child-friendliness include Namibia (down 24 places), Niger (17 places down), Kenya (15 places down) Mauritania (down 15) and DRC (14 places down). Reasons for the fall primarily include reductions in government spending on health and education.The report says despite progress, Africa remains a region in which large numbers of children continue to die of preventable causes and many still deprived of access to their basic needs. “The recent economic growth witnessed in the region must translate into concrete results in terms of reducing inequality and expanding the fiscal space to invest in our children,” said Théophane Nikyèma, the executive director of the African Child Policy Forum. “While there is the “good news” story of the dramatic drop in child mortality and a boom in primary education, the persistence of preventable deaths, child hunger and malnutrition, lack of access to healthcare services, low school completion rates and declining educational quality in the region continue to prove obstacles for improving children’s wellbeing,” Nikyèma added.Salient investingInvesting in prevention and treatment of killer diseases and re-enforcing maternal and infant nutrition interventions; ensuring universal quality primary and secondary education; increasing public investments in sectors linked to children such as education, health, and social protection.Others include improving legal protection of children and enforcement; and, most importantly, enhancing accountability and good governance are key measures, according to the report.“The results of the ranking demonstrate what is really happening on the ground in our country.“Rwanda is one of the best country in Africa where you can raise your children because they are able to access better and inclusive education, health and other necessities,” said Beata Umugawaneza, a mother of four children.