Regional office for

West and Central Africa

Displaced women are seen preparing dinner
Displaced women are seen preparing dinner at the informal camp in Bagoundié, 8 km far from Gao, in Mali. The camp hosts 300 households who fled their homes in Tessit, near Ansongo, due to the ongoing conflict and clashes between armed groups OCHA/Michele Cattani
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The West and Central Africa region is the epicentre of a fast-growing crisis with unprecedented levels of armed violence and insecurity. Millions of people are being driven to the fringes of survival due to the confluence of conflict, deep poverty, demographic pressures, urbanization, weak governance, chronically high food insecurity and malnutrition, and the impact of climate change.

OCHA focuses on strengthening humanitarian coordination and response preparedness through its country offices and its Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROWCA), which has been based in Dakar, Senegal, since November 2003. 

To mitigate the impact of natural disasters and other emergencies, ROWCA works closely with UN Resident Coordinators, Humanitarian Country Teams, national and regional organizations, and Member States.

To develop and foster regional coordination networks, ROWCA engages with Governments, external partners and regional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States and the Economic Community of Central African States.

Regional coverage

Inside a classroom, a boy standing behind a desk speaks into a microphone, which held by a woman, who is standing in front of him. Other children can be seen seated at their desks. Two blackboards are in view in the background.
Country office

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso continues to face the worst humanitarian crisis in its history, with one in four Burkinabè now in need of humanitarian assistance.

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Karen Perrin, OCHA’s head of office in Cameroon, plants a tree in the Minawao refugee camp in the country’s northern border, as part of a reforestation project in response to the drought. Photo: OCHA//Bibiane Mouangue
Country office

Cameroon

Nine out of 10 regions in Cameroon are affected by three complex humanitarian crises: the Lake Chad basin conflict, the North-West and South-West crisis, and the Central African Republic (CAR) refugee crisis.

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Three women and a young man look at the camera. Some of the women are clutching a plastic sheet. A UN vehicle and tents can be seen in the background.
Country office

Chad

The humanitarian crisis in Chad is becoming more entrenched due to growing food insecurity and malnutrition, forced displacement, the effects of climate change, and political, socioeconomic, health and sanitation challenges.

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Children working with chalk and slates in classroom
Country office

Mali

Mali is beset by insecurity, conflict, the impacts of climate change and limited access to basic social services, all of which are causing severe humanitarian need.

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A medical team from the NGO, Action Pour le Bien Être, with a patient in a camp for the internally displaced in Ouallam, Niger. A project financed by the OCHA-managed Regional Humanitarian Fund for West and Central Africa supports efforts to respond to gender-based violence, provision of emergency shelter, non-food items and healthcare service. Photo; OCHA/Michele Cattani
Country office

Niger

Niger continues to face an acute and complex humanitarian crisis marked by the impact of persistent insecurity, epidemics, food insecurity and floods.

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Falmata Goni and her baby at a stabilization centre managed by International Rescue Committee in Bama local government area, Borno State. 2 May 2023. The centre is supported by OCHA. Photo: OCHA/Adedeji Ademigbuji
Country office

Nigeria

There has been no reprieve in the humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria’s Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, where armed conflict is now in its thirteenth year.

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Latest News and Stories

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The Regional Humanitarian Fund for West and Central Africa

Resources

DR Congo + 3 more

Infographic

West and Central Africa: Latest events at a glance (9-15 July 2024)

Cameroon Increase in cases of malnutrition among children below the age of 5 in the Logone et Chari division Since January 2024, cases of severe malnutrition among children aged 0 to 5 have increased...

Originally published
Origen
  • UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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Funding for OCHA West and Central Africa

Earmarked funding (USD)
2.3M 2023
Opening balance (USD)
0 2023
Total (USD)
2.3M 2023
Total requirements (USD)
4.2M 2023

Earmarked contributions

Canada
$0,1 millones
Germany
$0,5 millones
Sweden
$0,3 millones
United States
$1,3 millones

Unearmarked contributions

  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • China
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Luxembourg
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Qatar
  • Republic of
  • Russian Federation
  • S
  • Singapore

Unearmarked contributions (or commitments) are those for which the donor does not require the funds to be used for a specific project, sector, crisis or country, leaving OCHA to decide how to allocate the funds.

Opening balance may include unearmarked and earmarked funding with implementation dates beyond the calendar year, and excludes miscellaneous income (e.g. adjustments, gain/losses on exchange rate etc.)

Funding information from the OCHA Contributions Tracking System.