The 8th World Organization For Early Childhood Education (OMEP) Africa Regional Conference 2017 on Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) has been launched in Accra.

The conference under the theme: ‘’Transforming and Strengthening ECED Systems for Sustainable Development in Africa’’ is scheduled for April 19th-21st, 2017 at the Coconut Groove Regency Hotel.

President of OMEP Ghana, Mrs. Nyamikeh Kyiamah in her address at the launch, said, the aims and objectives of OMEP, are to defend and promote the rights of the child with special emphasis on the right to education and care worldwide.

The focus of the conference she explained is to advocate for best practices and promote quality Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) in Africa.

The OMEP Africa Conference will focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 17.

Goal 4 of the SDGs is to ‘’Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.’’ The conference she noted will place emphasis on Goal 4.2 which says by 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education. The Goal 17 she indicated will place more emphasis on 17.3 which says :

‘’Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources. The conference will deliver a communiqué which will encapsulate the pragmatic issues in Africa.

‘’This means various OMEP National Committees will implement the outcomes,’’ she said.

OMEP Ghana she said will support the improvement of professional development of the caregivers and managerial skills of school managers; Improve upon the advocacy on ECED in Ghana; and Support the implementation of five years Strategic Plan of the ‘’Scaling Up KG Education in Ghana’’ document developed by Ghana Education Service.

All speakers at the conference will focus and address their topics with cogent arguments on issues raised in their presentations supported with evidence based researchers, interventions and offer possible solutions to problems catalogue. The Keynote Speaker for the conference will be Dr. Abdulai Jinapor, University of Education, Winneba.

The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo is expected to open the conference. Participants will come from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia. Stakeholders including Early Childhood Educators, Proprietors of Private Schools, Parents, Social Workers, Pediatricians, Nurses, Child minders and professionals interested in working with children.