Windhoek: Government expenditure on child grants exceeded N$1 billion as the number of children benefiting from State grants increased to 377,164 in 2023, the latest child protection statistics report has revealed.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the 2014-2023 Child Care and Protection Statistics Report launched by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare on Wednesday indicated that the number of grant beneficiaries increased from 164,434 in 2014 to 377,164 in 2023.

The vulnerable grant recorded the most significant growth, rising from 8,238 beneficiaries in 2014 to 254,771 in 2023. The report explained that the expansion reflected increased support for vulnerable children and broader grant registration efforts across the country.

Meanwhile, the number of children receiving State maintenance grants declined from 130,769 in 2014 to 105,619 in 2023, despite a gradual recovery after a sharp drop in 2019 that was linked to stricter eligibility requirements and funding constraints.

Foster care grant recipients also declined from 20,563 in 2014 to 7,994 in 2023, with the decline attributed partly to the implementation of the Child Care and Protection Act of 2015, which introduced kinship care as an alternative to foster care.

Disability grant beneficiaries increased from 4,864 children in 2014 to 8,780 in 2023, with Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshikoto, and the two Kavango regions among the regions with the highest numbers of grant recipients. The ministry said the figures underline the importance of social protection programmes in supporting vulnerable children and households across Namibia.