Africa’s first Gender and Child Statistics Forum calls for better data to deliver results for children

Yaoundé/Dakar, 6 July 2026 – As Africa prepares for a future in which nearly half of the world’s children will live on the continent, the first Africa Gender and Child Statistics Forum officially opened today in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to strengthen the collection and analysis of the data needed to better understand and respond to children’s realities.

The Forum brings together governments, national statistical offices, regional institutions, civil society organisations, development partners and experts to discuss how to improve the production, harmonisation and use of gender and child statistics across Africa, so that every child is counted, visible and reached with the services and support they need.

Held under the theme “Statistics that Matter: Advancing Rights, Justice, and Opportunities for All”, the Forum will support evidence-based policymaking, services and accountability for women and children. It marks an important milestone in Africa’s efforts to build stronger, more inclusive and rights-based data systems that better reflect the realities of women, girls and boys. Reliable, disaggregated and effectively used statistics are essential to identify where children are missing out, understand the barriers they face, and guide action to protect their rights and improve access to essential services.

“Africa is home to the largest and fastest-growing child population in the world. Today, nearly 691 million children under the age of 18 live across the African Union Member States, representing approximately 46 per cent of the continent’s population. By 2050, nearly half of the world’s children will live on this continent,” said Ramou Ndure, UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa, during the opening of the Forum. “This demographic reality is one of the greatest opportunities of our time, but it also places a profound responsibility on all of us. Every child counts, and every child must be counted. When children are invisible in data, they are often invisible in policies, budgets and services. Better data is essential to deliver on children’s rights and ensure no child is left behind.”

Across Africa, significant data gaps remain in areas that are critical to the rights and well-being of children and women. These include access to justice, protection from violence, access to water and sanitation, migration and displacement, climate justice, administrative data systems, and the situation of marginalized and excluded groups, particularly children and adolescents with disabilities, on the move, in fragile and conflict-affected settings, and in remote communities. At the same time, Africa continues to face profound development challenges.

According to the Africa’s Children Statistical Compendium 2026, learning poverty exceeds 90 per cent in several countries in Central, Eastern and Western Africa; while under-five mortality ranges from 21 deaths per 1,000 live births in Northern Africa to 94 per 1,000 in Western Africa. Globally, The State of the World’s Children 2025 reports that 412 million children continue to live in extreme monetary poverty, while 417 million children are severely deprived in at least two essential dimensions of well-being, including education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation and clean water.

Strengthening gender and child statistics is therefore essential to support evidence-based reforms, improve accountability, and ensure that services reach those who need them most.

Over the coming days, participants will assess progress, identify gaps and advance common priorities for gender and child statistics. Discussions will focus on violence against women and children, migration and displacement, climate justice, access to water and sanitation, administrative data systems, gender equality, access to justice, and the strengthening of national statistical systems.

UNICEF is a leading partner in strengthening the generation and use of data on children, including through the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and its support to national statistical systems. This work helps governments turn evidence into action for children and supports broader efforts to strengthen data ecosystems, from administrative systems and civil registration to interoperability, innovation, digital technologies and stronger capacities to turn data into decisions.

UNICEF calls on governments, development partners and regional institutions to invest in modern, inclusive and interoperable data systems that can identify the most vulnerable children and women, monitor progress and accelerate results.

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Notes for editors:

The first Africa Gender and Child Statistics Forum (AGCSF) is taking place from 6 to 10 July 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The Forum brings together governments, national statistical offices, regional institutions, civil society organizations, development partners and experts to strengthen the production, harmonization and use of gender and child statistics across Africa. The Forum is jointly organized by the African Development Bank, the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UN Women and UNICEF, in collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics of Cameroon. As a multi-stakeholder platform, AGCSF aims to strengthen data systems and statistical capacity, and to promote the use of quality data to advance gender equality, children’s rights and inclusive development across the continent.