Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema has launched the African Union's Champion's Report on Ending Child Marriage and the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme.

The launch took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the sidelines of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. 

The African Union convened a high‑level discussion focusing on the Presidential Champions' 2025 Report on Ending Child Marriage in Africa. 

It was co-hosted by President Hakainde Hichilema, who is also the AU Presidential Champion for Ending Child Marriages, alongside AU Commissioner Amira El Fadil of the Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development.

The meeting showcased Zambia's legal reforms, educational initiatives, and advocacy efforts aimed at combating child marriage.

"Weak social protection in our individual countries; in our country, we have decided to put more resources into social protection deliberately, so consciously. We know we can avail those resources if our economy is derelict, if they are not functional, if they are not growing. So I urge all of us to provide more resources to the vulnerable."

Central to the discussion was the GEWEL 2 Project and its "Keeping Girls in School and Beyond" component, which provides financial support to approximately 120,000 girls across Zambia. 

The initiative, implemented in partnership with the World Bank, seeks to address key drivers of early marriage and pregnancy, including poverty and limited access to education.

The 2025 Report, titled Towards a Transformative Agenda to End Child Marriage in Africa, has been presented to galvanise political commitment and strategic action across the continent. 

The event also emphasised the importance of investing in girls' education and reaffirmed the urgency of ending child marriage by 2030, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality.