SAL, May 14, 2025 - Government representatives from across West Africa concluded a high-level regional conference today by adopting the Sal Commitments on Advancing Childcare for Human Capital and Growth ¨C a bold, collective declaration to prioritize childcare as a cornerstone of national development strategies.
The commitments were endorsed during the three-day regional conference on Empowering Childcare in West Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, held from May 12¨C14, 2025, in Sal, Cabo Verde. Hosted by the Government of Cabo Verde and facilitated by the World Bank, the event brought together ministers, policymakers, technical experts, private sector leaders, and development partners from across the region.
Recognizing childcare as a vital investment in early childhood development, gender equality, job creation, and economic productivity, the Sal Commitments outline concrete actions to expand access to affordable, quality childcare services ¨C especially for underserved urban, rural, and fragile communities.
Key pledges include:
- Integrating childcare into national human capital, education, labor, and social protection strategies;
- Developing inclusive childcare models tailored to local contexts;
- Expanding the childcare workforce and promoting decent jobs, particularly for women and youth;
- Increasing public investment and aligning donor support with national priorities;
- Strengthening national data systems and promoting regional knowledge exchange.
The Sal Commitments also underscore the urgency of addressing gender disparities in care work and enabling women¡¯s full participation in the labor market ¨C particularly in emerging sectors like the digital, green, and care economies.
Participating governments pledged to adopt or develop national childcare approaches by 2030 and to increase domestic resource mobilization for early childhood care and development by 2030. Development partners were called upon to increase concessional financing and technical support for scalable, sustainable childcare systems.
This landmark agreement reaffirms childcare as a shared priority for inclusive growth, human capital development, and the realization of Agenda 2063 ¨C specifically Aspiration 1 on inclusive growth and sustainable development, and Aspiration 6 on people-driven development centered on youth, women, and well-cared-for children.
