The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that more than 14,000 schools across West and Central Africa were forced to close by the middle of 2025 due to conflict, disrupting education for millions of children across the region.

The disclosure was contained in UNICEF’s 2025 Annual Report, which highlighted both the challenges facing children and the progress recorded in key sectors, including education, health and social protection.

According to the report, widespread insecurity significantly affected access to education, leading to the closure of thousands of schools.

However, UNICEF noted that digital learning initiatives helped mitigate some of the impact by expanding access to education through technology-driven platforms.

“Education faced disruption, with over 14,000 schools closed due to conflict by mid-2025,” the report stated. “Yet access expanded through digital platforms such as the Learning Passport, now reaching 2.5 million users, and partnerships that connected more than 2,000 schools to the internet.”

The report said regional education programmes continued to focus on foundational learning, teacher development and early childhood education, in line with the African Union’s Decade of Accelerated Action for the Transformation of Education and Skills Development in Africa.

Beyond education, UNICEF reported progress in child health interventions across the region. It stated that the Big Catch-Up immunisation initiative reached millions of children who had not received routine vaccines or were under-vaccinated, while coordinated responses helped reduce cases of vaccine-derived polio.

The agency added that large-scale vaccination campaigns against measles, malaria and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) also expanded coverage among children and adolescents in 15 countries.

Although maternal and child health indicators improved overall, UNICEF warned that neonatal mortality remains a major concern requiring sustained attention and investment.

The organisation observed that despite political instability, economic difficulties and climate-related shocks, countries in the region continued to make progress in advancing children’s rights across health, nutrition, education, protection and social inclusion.

“While progress is evident, it remains uneven—highlighting the need for sustained investment, stronger systems and continued innovation to accelerate results for children,” the report noted.

The findings come amid a worsening humanitarian situation across West and Central Africa, where conflict, displacement and environmental disasters continue to affect millions of people.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in its Global Humanitarian Overview 2026, reported that ongoing violence and insecurity have forced large numbers of people from their homes, leaving many unable to meet their basic needs.

According to OCHA, the region currently hosts about 12.7 million internally displaced persons and 3.7 million refugees and asylum seekers. Women and children account for the majority of those displaced, many of whom have been uprooted multiple times and face heightened risks, including gender-based violence, exploitation and other forms of abuse.

The report underscored the urgent need for continued humanitarian assistance and long-term investments to protect vulnerable populations and safeguard the future of children across the region.