ACFKigali2025: Reflections on the First Africa Childcare Forum
A Continental Turning Point for Childcare
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The Africa Childcare Forum Kigali 2025 (ACFKigali2025) marked a defining moment in the movement to strengthen childcare systems across the continent. The Forum brought together policymakers, practitioners, funders, caregivers, and advocates united by a mission to ensure that every child in Africa receives quality care and every caregiver is recognized, supported, and professionally empowered.
The atmosphere in Kigali was electric—filled with purpose, urgency, and shared belief that childcare is central to Africa’s development agenda.
🌍 Launch of the Kigali Commitments on Childcare
One of the most powerful outcomes of the Forum was the adoption of the Kigali Commitments on Childcare—a shared, continent-wide declaration that outlines the actions African countries, partners, and networks pledge to advance over the next 12 months.
The Kigali Commitments affirm five core priorities:
- Professionalizing the Childcare Workforce: Countries committed to strengthening training, certification, and support systems that elevate caregivers as respected professionals essential to national development.
- Advancing Supportive Legal and Policy Frameworks: Governments pledged to enhance national and subnational policies, standards, and regulations that protect children, uplift caregivers, and ensure high-quality childcare environments.
- Investing in Quality and Accessible Childcare Services: Partners agreed to promote scalable, affordable, and community-responsive childcare models that meet the needs of working families, especially women in the informal economy.
- Strengthening Multi-Sector Partnerships: Stakeholders reaffirmed the importance of collaborative action, bringing together governments, civil society, academia, private sector, and funding partners.
- Building Evidence, Data, and Learning Platforms: Delegates committed to improving data systems, documenting emerging models, and sharing best practices across borders to drive informed decision-making.
Together, these commitments form a continental roadmap and a shared accountability framework to accelerate childcare transformation.
Building on Momentum from Across Africa
Delegates shared major milestones achieved across the continent—from new childcare policies and standards, to workforce development initiatives, to community-driven childcare models.
The Forum showed that across Africa:
- Political will for childcare is rising
- Investment in workforce development is strengthening
- Childcare is becoming recognized as a critical component of economic development and gender equality
- Countries are eager to collaborate, learn, and adopt promising practices
A Shared Vision: Elevating Care Work
A key thread through the conversations was the recognition that care work is foundational to Africa’s present and future.
Participants emphasized:
- Standardized training and accreditation
- Dignified working conditions
- Regulatory systems that support quality
- Empowering women as childcare professionals and entrepreneurs
Partnership as the Engine of Transformation
The Forum reaffirmed that childcare cannot advance through isolated efforts.
It requires:
- Government leadership
- Civil society innovation
- Donor investment
- Academic and research engagement
- Private sector participation
The Kigali Commitments place partnership and collective accountability at the center of the continent’s childcare transformation.
A Focus on Dignity and Recognition
The human heart of the Forum was clear: Childcare must be anchored in dignity—for caregivers, children, and families.
Strengthening childcare was emphasized as a strategic investment in:
- Early childhood development
- Women’s economic empowerment
- Youth employment
- National productivity
From Dialogue to Action: What Comes Next
With the Kigali Commitments as a guiding framework, countries and partners will now prioritize:
- National reviews of childcare policy and standards
- Expansion of caregiver training and certification programs
- Scaling of promising childcare models
- Greater inclusion of caregivers’ voices
- Investment in evidence, research, and data systems
- Preparation for the Mombasa Forum to review progress
The annual convening in Mombasa will serve as the first accountability moment for reviewing continental action on the Kigali Commitments.
A New Era for Childcare in Africa
ACFKigali2025 was more than a conference. It was a declaration of intent, a collective awakening, and a bold step into a future where childcare is universally recognized as infrastructure for national development.
With the Kigali Commitments adopted, the Forum institutionalized as an annual platform, and Mombasa announced as the next host city, Africa is entering a new era—one where the wellbeing of children and caregivers stands at the center of transformative development.
⭐ A Historic Decision: Making the Africa Childcare Forum an Annual Event
ACFKigali2025 will be remembered as the turning point where the childcare movement gained structural permanence.
Delegates collectively agreed that: ➡️ The Africa Childcare Forum will now be held annually.
This decision ensures ongoing momentum, consistent learning, and a stable platform for reviewing progress on the Kigali Commitments each year.
🌴 Mombasa Announced as the Next Host City
In an exciting milestone for the movement, the Forum declared that: ➡️ Mombasa, Kenya, will host the next Africa Childcare Forum.
This coastal city—known for its vibrant culture, growing social innovation ecosystem, and strong county-level leadership—will host stakeholders for the 2026 gathering.
The decision reflects confidence in Kenya’s leadership in childcare reforms and its readiness to co-create the next stage of Africa’s childcare agenda. ACFMombasa2026 takes place in 2026 and we welcome you to join us in this great event.
