Top 10 Child-friendly Countries In Africa, 2018

With such a young and expanding population, African countries need to put in place measures to create an environment that is friendly to the children and to prevent exacerbating poverty, inequality, unemployment and instability.

The African Report on Child Wellbeing 2018: Progress in the Child-Friendliness of African Governments by the African Child Policy Forum ranks the best to worst states on the continent for children by measuring a range of indicators such as nutrition, education, budgets and social protection.

The report is based on the Child- Friendliness Index (CFI), which ranks 52 African nations on progress towards realizing the rights and wellbeing of children. The CFI rates Mauritius, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa as the three most child friendly African countries, while South Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad, were languish at the bottom of the table as the least child- friendly countries.

The report acknowledges there has been some progress in recent years. Africa’s children are healthier, live longer, are better schooled, and can aspire to a better life than those before. African governments are gradually becoming more child-friendly, with better protection from abuse and exploitation, more child-friendly laws and policies, and more money being spent on children than ever before.

The ACPF is also calling for urgent action in six priority areas: tackle under nutrition and poor ; create jobs and economic opportunities for young people; put respect for the dignity of children at the heart of legislation and policies; ensure that the most marginalized children are not left behind; and massively increase investment and budgets for children and young people.