The African Media Network for the Promotion of Health and the Environment – REMAPSEN has committed to supporting parents in their quest to improve their children’s health and to advocate better consideration of issues affecting children’s health.  

This will be done through media content creation as well as news and current affairs programming in various media organizations in the respective countries of members.

Members of the network with representation in 30 African countries have also resolved to make greater use of specialists from UNICEF and its partners in processing information on child health than they have done in the past on their media networks.

The Network has also agreed to increase the number of agenda-setting on issues relating to child health as a way of becoming more involved in the promotion of child health. 

These resolutions were arrived at the end of a three-day workshop recently held in Lome in collaboration with UNICEF on child health promotion, immunization, and nutrition.

Taking the Media Network through the state of child health promotion in Africa, UNICEF Chief of Health, Madagascar, Alexandre Boon said even though 12% of the world’s children live in West and Central Africa, ‘‘The region bears a disproportionate share of the global burden of child rights deprivations’’.

Citing research by the Fund, Mr. Boon attributed the phenomenon to several ‘existing and emerging challenges and shocks in the region’. Among the challenges and shocks are the COVID-19 pandemic, population growth and urbanisation, debt crisis, climate change, political instability, migration and trafficking, inequality and poverty. There is also, institutional fragility, insecurity and Ukraine crisis.

According to UNICEF, “Child population in West and Central Africa Republic is projected to reach 357 million by 2030, a 27% increase from 2021’’. To ensure an improved child health promotion over that period, Alexandre Boon emphasised the need to make optimum use of community health care providers with the effective and efficient supervision of medical doctors for education and awareness creation on child health among the local community members.  He is sure that with the support of the Africa Media Network there will be an improved parental and governmental attitude towards issues affecting the health of children.