West and Central Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria, 15 April 2024 – As Nigeria marks 10 years since the mass Chibok abductions in the Northeast, 90 girls remain in captivity, and the country is recovering from another abduction of schoolchildren in Kaduna state in March of this year. UNICEF is calling for intensified efforts to protect the country's most vulnerable population—its…

GOMA,  Democratic Republic of the Congo, 22 March 2024 – A major upsurge in violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has seen at least 400,000 people displaced in North Kivu since the beginning of the year risks exposing children to further violence unless their protection can be reinforced. In the latest incident on…

BANJUL, THE GAMBIA, 22 March 2024 – “As the debate over the proposed repeal of the law banning Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) intensifies, we are deeply concerned by the potential reversal of decades of work invested in protecting the rights and dignity of women and girls. “The proposed repeal of the ban on FGM, referred to as female circumcision…

ABUJA, NIGERIA, 7 March 2024 – "I am deeply saddened and concerned by the reports of yet another abduction of students in Kaduna State. The alarming frequency of such incidents across the country signals a crisis that requires immediate and determined action from all levels of government and society. Schools are supposed to be sanctuaries of…

ADDIS ABABA/NEW YORK, 29 February 2024 - Today, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and UNICEF announced an extended partnership dedicated to strengthening primary healthcare, supply chain management, pooled procurement and local manufacturing, and emergency response. The collaboration builds on the 2022-2024…

Situation reports are the main reporting tool to monitor UNICEF’s humanitarian response. They provide an update on the situation and needs of children in a country or region, as well as information on UNICEF’s response and funding requirements.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 7 February 2024 – UNICEF and partners are responding to devastating flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with the Congo River rising to levels not seen in more than 60 years. Eighteen out of DRC’s 26 provinces are affected following exceptionally heavy rainfall over the past couple of…

Humanitarian Action is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate to realize the rights of every child. This edition of  Humanitarian Action for Children  – UNICEF’s annual humanitarian fundraising appeal – describes the ongoing crises affecting children in West and Central Africa; the strategies that we are using to respond to these situations; and the…, In 2024, due to the consequences of protracted and acute conflicts, population movements, recurrent and simultaneous public health emergencies, climate change-related disasters and food and nutrition crises, 48.4 million children living in West and Central Africa will continue to require multisectoral assistance to uphold their rights and meet…, Key statistics, Health icon 6.9 million people in need of health assistance Nutrition icon 3.4 million people in need of nutrition assistance Child protection icon 832,000 children in need of protection services Education icon 4.3 million out-of-school children Wash icon 1.3 million people lacking access to safe water, Funding requirements for 2024, Regional needs and strategy, Humanitarian needs Humanitarian needs, In the entire West and Central Africa region, 48.4 million children require humanitarian assistance due to conflicts, population movements, recurrent and simultaneous public health emergencies, food and nutrition crises and climate change-related disasters. More than 17.2 million people are displaced, with numbers rising steadily as hostilities…, UNICEF's strategy UNICEF’s strategy, In line with the UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2022–2025 and the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, the humanitarian strategy of the West and Central Africa Regional Office is built around ensuring gender-sensitive emergency preparedness and response to humanitarian crises. It also seeks opportunities to strengthen national and local…, Find out more about UNICEF's work, December 2023, 2024 www.unicef.org/appeals/wca HumanitarianAction for Children West and Central Africa RegionHIGHLIGHTS In 2024, due to the consequences of protracted and acute conflicts, population movements, recurrent and simultaneous public health emergencies, climate change-related disasters and food and nutrition crises, 48.4 million children living in West…

OUAGADOUGOU, 28 November 2023 – Insecurity is pushing more than 1 in 10 children under the age of 5 into acute malnutrition in 22 out of 25 heavily affected areas surveyed in Burkina Faso, according to new data, warns UNICEF. The Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, with support from UNICEF and partners, commissioned the rapid nutrition survey […

GENEVA, 24 November 2024 – "UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, are greatly alarmed by the escalating crisis unfolding once again in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Violent clashes between non-state armed groups and government forces have forcibly displaced more than 450,000 people in the last six…

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 14 November 2023 – UNICEF condemns an attack reported to have been carried out on Sunday in the northeast of Beni near the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with Uganda. Initial reports put the death toll at 29 people, including eight children between 4 and 15 years of age.   “The…

This snapshot provides the first regional estimates of progress on sanitation and hygiene in households in the African Union (55 countries) between 2000 and 2022. The analysis finds that in Africa, only 31% of the population have access to safely managed sanitation and 28% used basic hygiene in 2022. Achieving universal coverage to of water,…