The State of Africa’s Children 2008 highlights the need to position child survival at the heart of Africa’s development and human rights agenda. It begins by examining the state of child survival and progress towards the health-related MDGs for children and mothers in each of the continent’s five main subregions: Eastern, Central, North, Southern and West Africa. Although much of the report concentrates on Africa south of the Sahara, cases and analysis from North Africa are examined as well.

The report concludes that it is time to rally behind the goals of maternal, newborn and child survival and health with renewed vigour and sharper vision, to fulfil the tenets of social justice and honour the sanctity of life – especially the life of the African child.