Nearly 7.5 million children across the Central Sahel region in Africa are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance – “an emergency that remains too far from the attention of the international community,” a senior official with the UN child rights agency UNICEF has said.
Tag Archives: Sahel
How community shelters protect children and help women restore degraded lands in Niger
Washington, USA, 03 April 2026 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Community-built shelters in Niger are enabling mothers to participate in land restoration work by providing shaded spaces for their children, protecting them from extreme heat and environmental hazards.
The initiative has led to the construction of 662 shelters across six regions, safeguarding 6,465 children and allowing women to focus on earning income and supporting their families.
This practical solution not only improves household livelihoods but also advances women’s economic empowerment, transforming a structural barrier into a pathway for resilience and community development.
The Issue: An impossible choice
In the sun-scorched landscapes of Niger, where temperatures can reach 45°C (113°F), a quiet but powerful shift is underway. It’s not just about restoring the land—it’s about enabling the women who sustain their families and communities to work safely and earn an income. A simple, community-built shelter has helped remove a barrier that kept many mothers from participating in land restoration: childcare in extreme heat.
In 2023, the Integrated Landscape Management Project (PGIP), an environment and natural resources management project financed by the World Bank through IDA credit, launched a large Cash for Work program to help rural communities restore degraded lands and build resilience to climate change. As implementation moved forward, the team saw a human hurdle: women with young children faced an impossible daily choice. Formal childcare options were scarce. Many mothers brought infants and toddlers—some as young as one year old—to the worksites, exposing them to intense sun, dust, and high winds. The risks ranged from dehydration to insect and snake bites. Mothers worried about safety and health, and their participation—and earnings—suffered.
The Solution: Community-built shelters (“hangars”)
The team listened to women and worked with local leaders to test a practical, culturally rooted solution: build shaded shelters near worksites and ask trusted “village grandmothers” to supervise the children. These hangars use local materials—wooden poles, straw, and planks—and create cool, protected spaces where children can rest and play while their mothers work nearby. Community selection of elder caregivers created trust and accountability, while keeping the model simple, affordable, and easy to maintain.
The Impact
Immediate and transformative results came quickly. To date, 662 shelters have been built across six regions, providing safe spaces for 6,465 children. By removing a basic barrier—safe childcare in extreme heat—the project unlocked women’s participation in cash-for-work activities and helped stabilize household incomes. Communities report greater peace of mind for mothers and better focus on work when children are safe and close by.
Community-built shelters are playing a pivotal role in advancing Niger’s job agenda by removing a critical barrier to women’s participation in land restoration work. By providing safe spaces for childcare, these shelters allow mothers to take part in Cash for Work programs, increasing the workforce and directly supporting household incomes. This access not only expands employment opportunities for women but also enhances their ability to contribute economically to their families and communities.
The initiative fosters skills development and community cohesion. As women are freed from the constraints of childcare during working hours, they can engage more fully in restoration activities, gaining practical experience and confidence. This strengthens their position in the labor market and promotes broader inclusion, making access to jobs more equitable and sustainable for rural communities.
Governance and sustainability
To sustain the model, existing village structures—Site Management Committees (COGES) and Grievance Redress Committees (CGP)—handle logistics, upkeep, and any concerns. This light-touch governance reinforces community ownership and keeps the shelters practical and responsive.
What’s next: Adapting and improving
The project is developing mobile shelters—lightweight, detachable units that can move with worksites as activities shift seasonally. These will remain cost-effective and compliant with environmental and social standards, with attention to child health and safety. Existing shelters will be upgraded with mats, simple toys, picture books, and water trays, making the spaces more comfortable and stimulating. “Village grandmothers” will receive basic training in child protection, hygiene, and caregiving to strengthen care quality without complicating the model.
This is a straightforward lesson in inclusive development: when we remove everyday social barriers, climate and livelihoods projects go further. In Niger’s heat, childcare became the decisive factor in women’s participation. A low-cost, community-led solution turned a risk into a result—protecting children, increasing women’s earnings, and improving the effectiveness of land restoration.
Beyond one project, the hangar model offers a practical blueprint for public works and climate resilience operations. It shows how integrating simple social measures—from trusted caregivers to grievance channels—can elevate outcomes and expand who benefits, especially in contexts of extreme heat and limited services.
This approach is affordable, replicable, and rights-respecting. Most importantly, it helps women work safely and earn, while children stay protected—an inclusive path to climate resilience that can be scaled.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Word Bank Group.
This initiative is part of the Integrated Landscape Management Project (PGIP), which is part of the Sahel RESILAND Program and is implemented by the Government of Niger with the technical and financial support of the World Bank, PROGREEN, and PROBLUE.
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From potential to skills and real jobs: how young women are powering change in Western and Central Africa
Washington, USA, 27 March 2026 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- When you think about sub-Saharan Africa, and about the young women who live across the region, what comes to mind? Many are mothers. Many are tireless workers. Many are the emotional and practical backbone of their households and communities.
But the picture is also changing. Increasingly, more young women are finishing high school, enrolling in university, getting better jobs, and building careers beyond the home. This has not always been the dominant narrative in West and Central Africa, where even today about 40% of young women are neither in school, in training, nor employed.
Linking learning and skills opportunities with access to jobs and real economic pathways for about 3 million women
Across Western and Central Africa, the Sub-Saharan Africa Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend project — known as SWEDD+ — is supporting that change of trajectory.
Building on the original regional SWEDD project launched in the Sahel in 2015, the broader SWEDD/SWEDD+ initiative has reached nearly 3 million women and adolescent girls by linking learning and skills opportunities with real economic pathways and access to maternal and child health services. About 255,000 of these women have gained practical skills and entered the workforce with confidence through the program’s economic empowerment activities. SWEDD+ is expanding the participation and leadership of women and girls while also strengthening institutional capacity for equal rights for women across the region.
Women’s individual stories, spanning fields from skilled trades to healthcare to entrepreneurship, show what becomes possible when talent meets access to opportunity.
“Now we’re motivated and earning money to support our families. We’re happy to bring solar energy to the villages.” Angelique ,Benin.
Angelique and Odette, from Benin, left school in fifth and fourth grade when their families could no longer afford the fees. Today, their path looks very different. Thanks to SWEDD, both young women got trainings in a non-traditional economic activity: building electrification and solar photovoltaic installation. They now have a better job and have been working for over two years with a private company installing solar panels. The pride in their voices is unmistakable. “Now we’re motivated and earning money to support our families,” Angelique says. “We’re happy to bring solar energy to the villages.”
Leaving school because of financial hardship is still a common reality across West and Central Africa. Harmelle, also from Benin, had to leave school at age 14. She married soon after and became a mother, but two years later her husband died, leaving her in a precarious financial situation. A turning point came when she and her twin sister enrolled in a SWEDD entrepreneurship program that provided training and a starter kit for snail farming. With it came something just as important: peace of mind. “When I started farming, there were some difficulties,” she recalls, “but then we began earning money, and everyone was better off.”
In Chad, Djogoita was inspired by her father, a police officer, to find her own way to serve her community. She chose midwifery and the role has given her both purpose and confidence. “When they bring me a pregnant woman or a child from 0 to 14 years old, I can use the knowledge I gained through my training to help them,” she explains with a great satisfaction of having a fulfilling job.
Investing in women: one of the smartest economic bets to powering local economies
Across Western and Central Africa, the transformation is underway. With the right skills, support, and opportunities, a new generation of women and girls is not only increasing their own economic independence: they are powering local economies and investing back into their families and communities. The lesson is clear: when young women are given the tools to succeed, the returns reach far beyond the individual. Investing in women and girls is not just the right thing to do; it is one of the smartest economic bets West and Central Africa can make.
Creating more and better jobs across the region is central to the World Bank Group’s mission. By equipping young women with relevant skills and connecting them to real economic opportunities, programs like SWEDD/SWEDD+ directly advance this agenda — turning human potential into productive employment that fuels inclusive and sustainable growth.
In this International Women’s month, the stories of Angelique, Odette, Harmelle, and Djogoita remind us that the future of the region’s growth and resilience is already taking shape: one young woman at a time, trained, employed, and empowered to drive change in her community.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Word Bank Group.
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Burkina Faso’s parliament approves ban on political parties
Political party activities have been suspended in the Sahel country since the army seized power in 2022
Terrorism in Africa, a ‘growing global threat’
Expanding terrorist networks, mass displacement and the collapse of essential services in West Africa and the Sahel are a growing concern worldwide.
African Leaders at the Forefront of Water and Climate Resilience at the Global Summit in Madrid
MADRID, Spain, 20th October 2025 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/-As droughts, floods, and water crises intensify across the continent, African ministers and leaders are mobilizing ahead of the 2025 Sector Ministers’ Meeting (SMM), taking place on October 22–23 in Madrid. This political convergence marks a decisive step in the continent’s collective effort to secure water security and strengthen climate resilience.
A continental mobilization in the face of the hydro-climate emergency
Organized by the Government of Spain, UNICEF, and the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership, the meeting brings together representatives from over 60 countries under the theme “Breaking Silos: Uniting Political Leadership to Integrate Water, Sanitation and Climate Action.”
Figures from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme highlight the magnitude of the challenge: nearly 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to safe drinking water, while over 700 million are without safely managed sanitation. These deficits are compounded by climate change, from droughts in the Horn of Africa to flooding across the Sahel.
Concrete political commitments to turn challenges into opportunities
The summit aims to deliver three key strategic outcomes. The High-Level Pact on Water Security and Resilience will enable African governments to turn their ambitions into measurable commitments, supported by a Mutual Accountability Mechanism ensuring transparent monitoring of progress.
The event also serves as a springboard toward COP30 in Brazil and the UN 2026 Water Conference, ensuring that African perspectives shape global water-climate policies.
Africa as a laboratory of hydro-climate innovation
The continent continues to demonstrate its capacity for innovation through ambitious initiatives, from Kenya’s investments in climate-resilient water infrastructure, to Ghana’s universal sanitation drive, and Ethiopia’s efforts to integrate water and climate planning.
SMM 2025 will amplify the exchange of experiences and accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
“African governments have proven that when political will meets partnership, results follow,” said Muyatwa Sitali, Acting Executive Director of SWA. “Africa’s leadership will be critical in achieving lasting change.”
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)
About Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)
For the past 15 years, the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership, hosted by UNICEF, has united governments, civil society, and development partners to advance the human rights to water and sanitation. With more than 500 partners worldwide, SWA drives political commitment and promotes accountability to achieve sustainable results.
For more information on the 2025 Sector Ministers’ Meeting (SMM), visit www.sanitationandwaterforall.org/SMM2025
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In Africa’s Sahel, conflict and climate change force millions from their homes
Nearly four million people across Africa’s vast semi-arid Sahel region have been uprooted by a volatile mix of conflict, hunger and climate change, the UN warned on Friday, describing an unfolding protection and survival crisis that is pushing families to flee repeatedly.
Erasure or empowerment? In Africa’s Sahel, women confront a stark choice
In Africa’s Sahel region, deepening violence and poverty – driven by displacement, hunger and terrorism – are stripping women and girls of their right to safety, education and a viable future.
Burkina Faso forces killed 100 civilians in March – HRW
At least 100 civilians were killed by Burkina Faso government forces in March near the western town of Solenzo, Human Rights Watch said Monday.
According to victim testimony and videos shared on social media gathered by the rights group, the attackers were Burkina Faso special forces and members of a pro-government militia, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland.
The victims were all ethnic Fulani, a pastoralist community that is widespread across the region, which the government has long accused of supporting Muslim militants.
An earlier report from Human Rights Watch stated that the government’s involvement was likely, because of video evidence on social media, although the findings were not definitive.
The government issued a sharp denial when first reports surfaced, saying in a statement it “condemned the propagation, on social media, of images inducing hate and community violence, and fake information aimed at undermining social cohesion” in the country.
“The viral videos of the atrocities by pro-government militias near Solenzo sent shock waves through Africa’s Sahel region, but they told only part of the story,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Further research uncovered that Burkina Faso’s military was responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians, which were followed by deadly reprisals by an Islamist armed group. The government needs to impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute all those responsible.”
Burkina Faso authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the group’s new report.
The landlocked nation of 23 million people has symbolized the security crisis in the arid Sahel region south of the Sahara in recent years. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the governments fighting them.
The military junta, which took power in 2022, failed to provide the stability it promised. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.
The attack in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region, including Solenzo and other towns, began on Feb. 27 and lasted until April 2, involving hundreds of government troops and drones, according to eyewitnesses quoted in the report.
“The VDPs shot at us like animals, while drones were flying over our heads. Many women and children died because they could not run,” said a Fulani herder, 44, from Solenzo, referring to the pro-government militias.
After the attack, hundreds of Fulani residents fled across the border into neighbouring Mali, the report said.
“Today, in the whole province, there are no more Fulani — they all fled or were killed or taken hostage,” said a 53-year-old man from Solenzo. “But the other (ethnic) communities remain.”
After the government forces left, the report said that jihadist fighters from a group known as JNIM reentered the towns and carried out reprisal killings against residents, targeting the men whom it considered to be military collaborators.
“All the men had been executed in front of the health center,” said a 60-year-old woman who witnessed JNIM abuses in Tiao village, a town to the northeast of Solenzo on April 5. “I counted up to 70 bodies.”
According to analysts, the junta’s strategy of military escalation, including mass recruitment of civilians for poorly trained militia units, has exacerbated tensions between ethnic groups.
It it impossible to get an accurate picture of the situation in the country since the military leadership has installed a system of de facto censorship, rights groups said, and those daring to speak up can be openly abducted, imprisoned or forcefully drafted into the army.
Mali’s military government suspends all political activities
Mali’s military government has suspended all political activities across the country “until further notice”.
The decree signed on Wednesday by transitional president, General Assimi Goita, cited “reasons of public order” and applies to both parties and organisations.
It was issued a few days after a rare pro-democracy rally and ahead of a planned protest on Friday against the junta which has ruled the country since coups in 2020 and 2021.
Hundreds of activists last weekend defied government threats and demonstrated in the capital, Bamako, against a bill recommending the dissolution of all political parties.
“I’m not surprised, I expected this because this is their way of preventing us from carrying out our activities, but we will continue to defend democracy in Mali,” said one of its leaders, Cheick Oumar Doumbia.
Civil society figures, political parties, and labour leaders have called for “a rapid and credible return to constitutional order through the organisation of transparent, inclusive, and peaceful elections.
The junta originally committed to holding elections in February 2022, but that timeline has been pushed back several times.
This is not the first time the military government has suspended the activities of political parties on the eve of important decisions.
In April 2024, it announced a suspension ahead of an “inter-Malian dialogue” that called for the transition period to be extended from two to five years.
Last year Mali formed a new partnership known as the Alliance of Sahel States, together with Burkina Faso and Niger, after military leaders in the three countries quit the West African bloc, ECOWAS.
Some analysts described it as an attempt to legitimise their military governments amid coup-related sanctions and strained relations with neighbours.
All three have cut ties with former colonial power, France, and are instead building partnerships with Russia.
For more than a decade, Mali has faced attacks by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organisation, and the threat has been growing.