West and Central Africa Region Appeal

Public health emergencies are increasingly frequent and severe in West and Central Africa. Low vaccination coverage – especially in areas facing multiple, overlapping shocks – and overstretched health systems have led to recurrent outbreaks of measles, meningitis, polio, Ebola virus disease, Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, diphtheria, cholera, H5A1 Influenza and mpox. These epidemics disproportionately affect children, and highlight the urgent need for increased emergency preparedness and response while also strengthening health systems. 

Floods have also severely impacted the region, affecting 18 of 24 countries and more than 20.3 million people affected since 2022. In 2025, around 1.5 million people were affected, with 732 deaths, 116,000 homes destroyed and major damage to schools, health facilities and farmland. This has worsened food insecurity and livelihoods. Each year, extreme flooding puts children at risk of displacement, family separation and disrupted education and healthcare. Flooding has also increased children's exposure to waterborne diseases, including cholera. Recurrent extreme climate hazards including flooding and periods of drought underscore the need for stronger climate resilience and preventive measures. 

Conflict in the central Sahel continues to spill into Mauritania, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, placing growing pressure on fragile communities. Security is deteriorating along the Senegal–Mali–Mauritania border, causing displacement in the border areas. As of August 2025, Mauritania was hosting more than 177,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from Mali. In coastal countries bordering Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger, 262 security incidents were reported in 2025, including attacks, abductions, protests and use of improvised explosive devices. An estimated 206,000 people have fled to Gulf of Guinea countries though actual displacement figures are likely higher due to incomplete registration, despite ongoing efforts by governments and international partners to register newly arrived individuals from central Sahel countries. 

Displacement disrupts access of both displaced and host populations to education and essential services, exposing children to exploitation and abuse. Women, girls and children with disabilities face heightened risks due to compounded vulnerabilities, systemic barriers and exclusion from humanitarian assistance.

UNICEF in West and Central Africa prioritizes emergency preparedness and multisectoral responses to deliver life-saving support to children and families affected by crises, in line with the Humanitarian Reset. The approach reinforces national systems, builds community resilience and promotes the integration of refugees and internally displaced persons into host communities. It is also designed to enhance cross-border capacity to address population movements and provide a humanitarian response. 

A key element of this strategy is the pre-positioning of essential supplies through strategic hubs in Accra, Ghana and Douala, Cameroon. These are operated in collaboration with the World Food Programme. These hubs serve critical corridors across the Sahel and in coastal and central African countries: they enable rapid delivery of life-saving items and mitigate supply chain disruptions, surges in demand and funding gaps. Additional contingency stocks in country offices and strategic supplier locations further enhance readiness. 

UNICEF advances localization by reinforcing the capacity of local and national organizations to lead humanitarian responses, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. This improves coordination, enhances disaster preparedness and fosters community ownership, ensuring that interventions are sustainable and tailored to local needs. 

Aligned with government and inter-agency plans, UNICEF supports integrated responses across the humanitarian–development–peace nexus. In Mauritania, UNICEF contributes to the 2025 Refugee and Resilience Plan in Mauritania 9 by promoting the inclusion of Malian refugees in national social protection systems and combining regular safety nets with shock-responsive mechanisms.

To contain outbreaks and protect vulnerable populations, public health emergencies remain a priority area of work. UNICEF supports coordinated, multisectoral actions, including risk communication and community engagement, infection prevention and control and supply and vaccination efforts. 

UNICEF places communities and youth at the centre of its humanitarian approach. UNICEF promotes gender equality, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, ending child marriage, and ensuring accountability to affected populations. Social and behaviour change efforts emphasize gender and disability inclusion, which reflects UNICEF’s commitment to resilient systems and child protecton throughout the region.