UNICEF calls on Ministries of Education and Finance to prioritize education in their COVID-19 recovery plans to reduce the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis on children and national economies.

New data from UNICEF on progress and perspectives for the re-opening of schools in West and Central Africa shows that only seven out of 24 countries in the region have been able to get their schools ready and reopen their school doors to welcome their children back to school for the new academic year 2020-2021.

The countries that have allowed schools to reopen include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Deborah Amuwo reports.