Dédougou, 18 April 2026 – The Sub-Saharan Africa Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Plus (SWEDD+) Project in Burkina Faso has officially launched a campaign to promote girls’ enrolment, retention and success in school. 

The campaign, ‘kom-pugli kaoreng yõodo’ or ‘the benefits of girls’ education’, is led by the Burkinabe Government through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Secondary Education, Vocational and Technical Training. It will run for 13 days in the Bankui and Nakambé regions. The campaign includes a series of community outreach activities, including advocacy sessions, forum theatre, radio programmes, educational talks and the provision of free reproductive health services. It is expected to reach more than 8,000 community leaders and over 2 million people across the two regions.

In his speech, the UNFPA Resident Representative in Burkina Faso, Mr Yves Sassenrath, praised the progress the country has made in girls’ education. He stressed, however, that efforts must continue to ensure their success. “It is not just a matter of enrolling girls in school, but also – and above all – of creating the right conditions for their success and fulfilment. This campaign is therefore at the heart of a shared struggle: to make girls’ education a key driver of Burkina Faso’s economic and social development,” he said.

For the Director of Health Promotion, Inclusive Education, Equity and Gender, Ms Maïmouna Sanon, representing the Director-General of Specific Support, the choice of the Bankui and Nakambé regions is no coincidence. School enrolment figures there remain a cause for concern. “The gross enrolment rate for girls is 36% in the Bankui/Sourou region and 32% in Nakambé, compared to a national average of 46%,” she explained.

She also highlighted the challenges hindering girls’ enrolment in these regions, notably socio-cultural constraints and the phenomenon of early pregnancies. “In 2025, more than 670 cases of early motherhood were recorded in these two regions. All too often, these situations shatter the dreams of many girls and lead them to drop out of school,” she added.

The key objective of the outreach activities to be carried out is to raise collective awareness and encourage communities to commit to ensuring girls start school and stay in education.

At the same time, a press tour will visit several towns, including Dédougou, Tchériba, Boromo, Pa, Tenkodogo, Garango and Dialgaye, to raise awareness of the issues surrounding girls’ education.

Through this initiative, the SWEDD+ project reaffirms its commitment, alongside the Government of Burkina Faso and its partners, to promoting girls’ education, an essential prerequisite for accelerating women’s empowerment and contributing sustainably to the development of Burkina Faso. It is being implemented with financial support from the World Bank and technical support from UNFPA Burkina Faso.