As the world marks Day of the African Child, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has called on leaders to break the cycle of debt injustice that continues to divert critical resources away from the very investments needed to help Africa’s children and youth thrive.

It noted that Africa is the world’s youngest continent, and the greatest asset lies in its young people. He, however, lamented that the youths’ aspirations for healthy, educated, and prosperous futures could not be realised as nations were forced to prioritise debt payments over investments in healthcare, education, and social protection.

In a statement yesterday, it noted that from HIV prevention and youth-friendly health services to quality education, gender equality, protection from violence, and opportunities for economic empowerment, young people’s needs were interconnected and require sustained public investment.

“Yet an unjust global debt system continues to limit many governments’ ability to adequately fund the services and opportunities that enable young people to reach their full potential.”

Through AHF’s Freedom from Debt campaign, the organisation called for urgent reforms that would place people before profit and allow countries to invest in their greatest resource—their youth.

Observed yearly on June 16, the Day of the African Child commemorates the 1976 Soweto Uprising, when South African students were met with violence while protesting inequalities in the apartheid education system and demanding their right to quality education.

Fifty years later, their legacy continues as a call to action for leaders to listen to young people and ensure that every child has the resources, opportunities, and support needed to build the future they deserve.