West and Central Africa

Mr. Gilles Fagninou is UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa. Based in Dakar, he provides leadership for 24 country offices across the region. Before taking up his current position in February 2024, Mr Fagninou, a national of Benin, was the Secretary of the UNICEF Executive Board and Director of the Office of the Secretary of the…

Get Involved, Rosemary Amponsah is training to become a welder at the Rural Enterprises Project in Bechem in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana. #Changemakers They’re not presidents and policymakers; they’re not rich and famous … they’re ordinary men and women who do extraordinary things for one reason: to create change in their own communities across Africa. Two…

Challenge, Clean water, basic toilets and good hygiene practices are essential for the survival and development of children. In West and Central Africa, however, these basics of life are still not at hand’s reach for many children and families. West and Central Africa is the only region with an increasing number of people who practice open defecation – one…, 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 . For information about cholera, see  Regional Cholera Platforms in Africa , bringing together multi-sectoral partners from different organizations involved in cholera prevention,…, Solution, Every child should live in a predictable, safe and clean environment. This is how we make it happen in West and Central Africa. Illustration Water Safe drinking water is the foundation of health and development. UNICEF supports countries to increase access to water and manage water sources in the poorest and most vulnerable communities.…

Challenge, Today, children in West and Central Africa have a greater chance of reaching their fifth birthday than ever before. Child deaths have declined by a half over the past 25 years, a significant victory for children and women. However, the vision of keeping every child alive is not in sight yet. The West and Central Africa region accounts for a third…, 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 . For information about cholera, see Regional Cholera Platforms in Africa , bringing together multi-sectoral partners from different organizations involved in cholera prevention,…, Solutions, Every woman, newborn, child, and adolescent should have an equal chance to survive and thrive. This is how we make it happen in West and Central Africa.  , Health, Illustration: Immunization Immunization Almost one third of deaths among children under 5 are preventable by vaccines. UNICEF works with partners to vaccinate children against the six major vaccine-preventable diseases – pertussis, childhood tuberculosis, tetanus, polio, measles and diphtheria. Illustration: Newborn Health Newborn Health UNICEF…, Nutrition, Illustration: Malnutrition Stunting and Malnutrition Stunting and other forms of childhood malnutrition can be defeated. UNICEF and its partners strive to achieve this by using evidence-based interventions, including support for breastfeeding, appropriate complementary foods for infants over six months, and micronutrient supplementation for women…, HIV & AIDS, Illustration: PMTCT Mother-to-Child Transmission UNICEF and its partners help to minimize the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child through a combination of prevention measures such antiretroviral therapy for the HIV-positive mother and her newborn baby, hygienic delivery conditions and safe infant feeding.   Illustration: HIV Treatment…

In response to the Ebola crisis that has impacted the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Government of Japan is allocating 700,000 USD to UNICEF. The funds will be used to support activities in the area of community communication and psycho-social assistance to affected families. The DRC is facing an Ebola epidemic in the Province of Equateur…

Although the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has made significant progress in reducing child mortality and access to education for children, a majority of children remain deprived of many of their rights. In spite of vast natural resources, the DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world. It is ranked 176th out of 188 countries in the 2015…

In Mauritania, painter Amy Sow uses her artwork to end violence against women. , Amy Sow has had to work hard to fulfill her creative ambitions. Despite there being no school of fine arts in Mauritania, and very few female artists from whom to learn, she pursued her passion for painting and has exhibited abroad – the only Mauritanian visual artist to do so.  For Sow, art is a means of expression and a powerful way to draw…, Africa's Changemakers Meet Africa's changemakers,        

Measles remains a leading cause of death amongst young children despite the fact that a safe and effective vaccine is available and in Côte d’Ivoire, it is free for children from 9 months to 14 years old. One of the challenges is to get the information to parents so they bring their children to health centers.   To do so, the Ministry of Health of…

Amid political instability, conflict and human rights violations, women and children bear the burden in West and Central Africa when an emergency strikes. This report covers UNICEF’s regional response in 2017 to emergencies in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Lake Chad basin, as well as the Congo, Mali and…

NIAMEY/DAKAR/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 8 June 2018 – An increasing number of migrant children are being expelled to Niger as countries across Europe and North Africa seek to curtail irregular migration, UNICEF said today warning that there are insufficient cross-border mechanisms to protect these children from the many risks they face: trafficking,…

KINSHASA/DAKAR/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 5 June 2018 – Since the start of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UNICEF and its partners have reached more than 300,000 people with lifesaving information about how to avoid contracting the deadly virus, as part of an ongoing awareness-raising campaign targeting more than 800,000…