West and Central Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria, 26 September 2018 – Today's generation of girls are preparing to enter a world of work that is being transformed by innovation and automation. Of the 1 billion young people – including 600 million adolescent girls – who will enter the workforce in the next decade, more than 90 per cent of those living in developing countries will…

In villages throughout Gabon’s Ogooue Ivendo region, children bear the brunt of poverty and deprivation, lacking access to education, health and nutrition services and protection. Most also lack a birth certificate, resulting in their exclusion from many public services. Mekambo, Gabon- 02 August 2018 - Thecle, a disabled mother of six and head of…, Generating income-generating activities: a springboard for empowerment, UNICEF is working with Gabon’s Ministry of Social Protection and National Fund for Social Action to improve the situation for the country’s most disadvantaged groups by seeking to expand social safety nets and protection schemes. The income-generating programme from which Thecle and others are benefitting aims to allow households in the most…, Advocating for disadvantaged groups, UNICEF expects that this pilot phase will pave the way for a gradual, comprehensive, inclusive and integrated approach that addresses the main bottlenecks hampering the realization of child rights, particularly for the indigenous population. Improving family incomes, making it possible for children to attend school and receive health care, will be…

NEW YORK, 29 July, 2018 – Approximately 28 per cent of identified victims of trafficking globally are children, UNICEF and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking (ICAT) said today on the eve of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. Across regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, children…

AMSTERDAM/NEW YORK, 25 July 2018 – Around 30 teenagers aged 15 to 19 were newly infected with HIV per hour in 2017, according to a new  UNICEF report . Of these, two-thirds were girls. “This is a crisis of health as well as a crisis of agency,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “In most countries, women and girls lack access to…

The nutritional situation of children under 5 years in the Sahel countries remains worrying and may worsen further during the lean season due to poor rainfall recorded in 2017.  This year, 1.6 million children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, which is a 50 percent increase from 2012, the Sahel’s last major nutrition crisis.…

In Nigeria, around 69 million people do not have access to safe water. Many children spend hours every day walking to collect water, sometimes missing out on a chance to go to school.   Children carrying water in Nigeria For some, this daily routine to collect water can take over their lives.   When children have access to safe water close to home…

“UNICEF welcomes news that the girls abducted on 19 February 2018 from a school in Dapchi, Yobe state, northeast Nigeria were returned to their families. According to unconfirmed reports, over 100 girls have been returned. “We are pleased to see that the girls are back in the safe environment of their families. “UNICEF is working closely with the…

Challenge, In West and Central Africa, we seek to understand and address the root causes of social and economic inequality so that all children, particularly those who suffer the worst deprivations in society, have access to basic social services. The Early Years Early childhood development is an investment for life. In many countries in West and Central…, Resources, UNICEF supports countries to generate evidence on how and where to make the most effective investments for children. Check out our global publications catalogue ., Solution, Every child needs an equal chance in life. This is how we make it happen in West and Central Africa.,  , Early Childhood Development, Illustration Caring for Caregivers Parents and caregivers are vital to children’s healthy development. UNICEF collaborates with partners to develop and implement parenting education programmes that help children get the best start in life.   Illustration Best Start in Life What happens to a child during the first 1,000 days of life — from…, Gender Equality, Illustration Girls' Rights Adolescent girls are a large and vibrant generation, yet they continue to face discrimination and disadvantage on a daily basis. UNICEF helps to advance the rights of adolescent girls by influencing policies and developing girl-specific health, education, child protection and social protection programmes., Adolescents, Illustration Adolescents Adolescents are vulnerable but also powerful forces of change if provided with the right support. UNICEF supports countries to develop, coordinate and implement adolescent programmes that increase access to education, life skills, prevention of HIV, teen pregnancy and child marriage, and protection against violence and…, Social Policy, Illustration Investments in Children To improve child well-being, countries need to effectively channel their public resources to children and their families, especially the poorest ones. UNICEF supports countries to identify funding sources, create consensus around the need to invest more in children, and to use the central and local government…

JOHANNESBURG/DAKAR/NAIROBI  – The projected expansion in Africa’s child population will necessitate an increase of more than 11 million skilled education and health personnel by 2030, if it is to keep pace with the continent’s unprecedented demographic transition, UNICEF said today.  Africa’s child population is projected to increase by 170…