Introduction

Abstract

In 2015, it was estimated that 41% of Africa’s population were children less than 15 years of age. Most of these children are exposed to multiple risk factors which may compromise their developmental outcomes. It is therefore important to develop intervention programs and strategies to address developmental problems faced by African children, if these children are to achieve their promise of propelling Africa to greater heights. Yet the evidence base for developing the required intervention strategy is not strong due to the underrepresentation of data from sub-Saharan Africa in the developmental psychology literature. We set out to fill this gap by putting together a handbook which synthesizes the evidence that can be used as resource by students, practitioners, and policy makers. In this chapter, we have provided a rationale for the book, summarized the theoretical and conceptual issues guiding the book, and lastly summarized the chapters in the book. This information provides the reader with a brief overview of the book.