This call to action was made at the launch of the 2025 Afri­can Vaccination Week and Child Health Promotion Week last Thursday, which aims to boost the well-being of children.

This year’s commemoration is observed on the theme, “Every Child Deserves a Healthy Future; Invest in Your Child. Attend ‘Weighing’ regularly,” which fo­cuses on raising awareness about the availability of free child health services and encouraging regular visits to child welfare clinics across the nation.

Speaking at the ceremony on last Thursday in Accra, Professor Akoriyea emphasised the critical role vaccination played in prevent­ing deadly childhood diseases and improving public health.

He stated that child health was not solely the responsibility of the government or health profession­als, adding that traditional author­ities, religious leaders, parents, and the media were all crucial actors in this collective mission.

“I was born in a village with no hospital or school, but through community effort, I am here today. If we save just one child today, we could be saving the next president, minister, or carpenter who builds for our future,” he added.

Prof. Kaba Akoriyea also encouraged a return to traditional Ghanaian diets, lamenting the replacement of nutritious local foods with foreign substitutes.

“Our traditional foods are the best. They are part of our culture, and we must promote them as a health solution,” he said.

The Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh in a speech read on his behalf by the Technical Coordinator Mr Hafiz Adam, expressed great enthusiasm about the synchronised launch of the 2025 African Vaccination and Child Health Promotion Week.

The Minister stated that, this initiative was igniting a renewed commitment to ensuring that no child was left behind when it comes to essential health services.

“I therefore encourage every parent and caregivers to take their children under five years to the nearest health centre or outreach point to access a range of free services,” the minister added.

“The future of the next gen­eration lies in the hands of our children and we must do whatever we can to provide them with the best health care we can,” he said.

The Chief Health and Nutrition of United Nations Internation­al Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Mr Manuel Dewez, speaking on behalf of all the part­ners, acknowledged the effort of GHS and appealed to parents to be responsible for the well-being of their children.

“Immunisation is a global health success story, saving mil­lions of lives every year. We now have vaccines to prevent more than 30 life-threatening diseases and infections, helping people of all ages live longer,” he added.

Mr Dewez said in order to bridge gaps in vaccine coverage and protect children from prevent­able illnesses, healthcare workers, civil society organisations, and community members must work together to promote child health and expanding access to life-sav­ing interventions