Government officials from Eswatini are in Ethiopia for the inaugural Africa Conference on Childcare, which kicked off this week at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The three-day conference, which began on Wednesday, is gathering key decision-makers, policy specialists and child welfare advocates from across the continent to discuss how African countries can scale up investment in early childhood development — particularly during the critical first three years of life.
Eswatini is being represented by Deputy Prime Minister’s Office Principal Secretary Siboniso Nkambule, National Children Services Director Nomcebo Nkomo-Nhlengetfwa and Nkosinathi Elvis Dlamini. The trio forms part of the delegation engaging in continental dialogue around improving access to childcare and support systems for young children. 
UNICEF’s Laila Gad told participants that more than 400 million African children are growing up in conditions of poverty, poor nutrition, limited access to education and healthcare, and in environments where violence and neglect are common. She warned that these issues threaten children’s brain development during their earliest years — a time when the foundations of cognitive and emotional growth are laid.
The call from UNICEF and others at the conference is for governments and the private sector to commit funding to create and sustain Early Childhood Care Centres and to ensure these facilities are integrated into national development plans.
Addis Ababa’s Mayor, Adanech Abebie, welcomed delegates to the city and called for stronger partnerships among African nations to support the welfare of the continent’s youngest citizens. Also addressing the gathering, Honourable Aboubekrine El Jera described early education as central to unlocking a child’s full intellectual potential.
