By: Yusuff Moseray Suma
West and Central Africa remains at the epicentre of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), with millions of girls at continued risk unless urgent and sustained investment is made to end the practice, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned.
Marking the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on 6 February, UNFPA said the region bears a disproportionate share of the global burden of FGM, accounting for 17 of the 27 most affected African countries. The concentration of cases, the agency noted, makes West and Central Africa critical to achieving the global target of eliminating FGM by 2030.
FGM affects more than 230 million women and girls worldwide, with an estimated 4 million girls at risk each year, half of them under the age of five. Without accelerated action, UN agencies project that 23 million additional girls could be subjected to the practice by the end of the decade.
UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Dr Sennen Hounton, described FGM as a serious human rights violation with lifelong physical and psychological consequences.
“FGM is not a cultural rite and has no medical justification. It violates the rights to health, bodily integrity, and freedom from torture and discrimination,” Hounton said.
While progress has been recorded—UN data shows that half of global reductions in FGM prevalence over the past 30 years occurred in the last decade—the pace remains far below what is required. To meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 5.3, the rate of decline would need to be 27 times faster, meaning that at least 4 million girls must be protected every year.
The challenge is further compounded by declining global funding and growing resistance to gender equality initiatives, UNFPA said. The cost of inaction is also significant: treating health complications linked to FGM currently costs health systems an estimated US$1.4 billion annually, a figure expected to rise if the practice continues.
By contrast, UNFPA stressed that investment in prevention delivers strong economic returns. According to UN estimates, every US$1 invested in ending FGM yields US$10 in benefits, largely through reduced healthcare costs and improved educational and economic outcomes for girls. A global investment of US$2.8 billion could prevent 20 million cases of FGM and generate nearly US$28 billion in economic benefits.
The theme of the 2026 International Day—“Towards 2030: No End to FGM Without Sustained Commitment and Investment”—underscores the need for long-term funding and coordinated action. UNFPA called for the integration of FGM prevention into health, education, and economic programmes; greater mobilisation of domestic and private-sector funding; and the use of technology to reach remote and underserved communities.
Central to these efforts is the UNFPA–UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, launched in 2008 and currently operating in 18 countries, including eight in West and Central Africa. The programme is the largest global initiative dedicated to ending FGM.
According to UN data, the joint programme has helped protect more than 1.1 million girls aged 0–14 from undergoing FGM and supported over 50 million people across 21,700 communities to publicly declare the abandonment of the practice. It has also provided health, legal, and social support services to more than 7 million women and girls.
UNFPA urged governments, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, and the private sector to intensify efforts, warning that failure to act decisively could reverse hard-won gains.
“The stakes could not be higher,” Dr Hounton said. “Every policy change, every public declaration, and every dollar invested brings us closer to a future where every girl’s body is respected and her future secured.”