We have long known that a person's chance of success in life is deeply influenced by early access to education, health services, safe water, and nutritious food. This in turn improves the likelihood that a child can live up to his or her human potential and pursue a rewarding life. As Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) enters its 20th year of unprecedented high economic growth and hopes continue to rise, its citizens increasingly wonder if these more hopeful economic times will translate into a better future for themselves and their families.

This book - the first of its kind in SSA - documents and analyses how opportunities have changed over the past decade in 20 countries that are home to at least 7 in 10 African children. It finds that improving children's access to key services appears to be possible even in the poorest countries. And in most cases where progress has been rapid, policy initiatives have made a difference, bringing services to citizens and compensating for the inherent disadvantages they would otherwise have faced. The findings in this book remind us of the significant progress Sub-Saharan African countries have made in the last several decades, as well as the challenges that remain in ending extreme poverty and laying the foundations for shared prosperity.