By Eleonora Cavagnero, Regional Swedd+ Project Leader at the World Bank, and Dr Nafissatou Diop, SWEDD+ Project Director at the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) West and Central Africa regional office

On this Day of the African Child, we honour the resilience and potential of girls across West and Central Africa. At the same time, we must acknowledge and confront the barriers- early marriage, school dropout, gender-based violence, and limited access to reproductive health services and job opportunities- that continue to hold them back.  

That’s why today also marks not only a moment of reflection, but of renewed commitment. The launch of the Together For Her campaign by the World Bank and UNFPA is a regional call to action uniting governments, communities, and partners in one shared mission: to ensure that every girl has the opportunity not only to survive, but to thrive. Through grassroots mobilization, media outreach, and policy dialogue, the campaign will champion young people, foster community engagement, raise awareness and support leaders working for change.

Today, adolescent girls like Kadiatou from Guinea remind us of what’s possible. Forced into marriage at 15, Kadiatou lost her education and her freedom. But with the support of the SWEDD programme, she reclaimed her future. Today, she’s back in school, and aspires to become a midwife.  Her journey is a testament to what happens when you invest in girls- not just individual transformation, but profound social and economic progress for communities and nations.

Across the region, the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) program, launched in 2015, is a pioneering, multi-sectoral approach to addressing the root causes of gender inequality and unlocking the demographic dividend in the Sahel. Initially spanning nine countries, the project has grown in scale and ambition. Today, the Sub-Sahara Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend plus Project (SWEDD+) includes 4 original SWEDD countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania) and welcomes new ones:  The Gambia, Senegal, and Togo for a total investment of US$460 million.

SWEDD+ is more than a project—it’s a platform for change. By working across education, health, and economic empowerment, and by engaging families, communities, and religious leaders, it offers a model for shifting harmful gender norms and driving gender-transformative development.

The SWEDD project’s numbers tell a powerful story –one of progress, possibility, and the returns on investing in girls, families, and their communities. Between 2015 and 2025, more than 1.16 million secondary school girls received support to remain in school, over 255,000 young women were trained in vocational and life skills, more than 1.3 million girls and women accessed modern contraceptive services, and nearly 20,000 community and religious leaders were mobilised to promote positive gender norms.

Yet, the need remains urgent, as Western and Central Africa lags on key human development indicators. In Chad, 78% of secondary school-age girls are out of school and in Mauritania, more than 52% of young women are not in education, employment or training. In the region, more than 16 million adolescent girls remain out of school, and many are already married or pregnant.

These circumstances are not inevitable. They are symptoms of entrenched inequality that, through a regional response, SWEDD+ aims to disrupt by stimulating collective accountability at every level, from families to the classroom, and from religious leaders to policymakers.

The cost of inaction is high, and the opportunity is great.  As we launch the Together for Her campaign, on the Day of the African Child, we call on all stakeholders –governments, partners, and communities- to move beyond promises, from commitment to action, with policies and resources.  

 With a clear path ahead, the stories of girls like Kadiatou can become the exception rather than the reality facing too many girls in the region. SWEDD has shown what’s possible. The path ahead is clear. It is time to act faster, move to scale, and listen more closely. Because when girls are heard, communities rise.

For more information, visit www.sweddafrica.org