The World Bank Group’s Sahel Education White Paper (December 2021) highlights the central role of education for the region’s economic and human development. Each year of education increases incomes by 7% to 15%, while gender inequality and early marriage are particularly acute. Although primary school enrollment doubled and secondary school enrollment tripled between 2005 and 2018, challenges remain: low quality of education, high population growth, and high dropout rates. More than 40% of school-age children are not in school. Improving the quality and access to education is essential to sustainably lift people out of poverty.

Inequality, Gender, Education, Poverty, Démographie

This qualitative study, conducted in Burkina Faso (Sep–Nov 2022), gathers the voices of 202 youths (aged 10–17, displaced or not) across 31 focus groups in six regions. The youths prioritize basic needs—food, water, clothing, healthcare, bicycles or mobility aids for disabled youths. Education is deemed critical for their future, despite school violence. Adolescents wish to contribute to family income and favor practical training (sewing, livestock). Leisure is a luxury and security a necessity. They feel excluded, ignored in aid targeting, poorly informed about humanitarian actors, and report distribution sites as unsafe and undignified. The report recommends strengthening youth participation: inform and involve youths in planning, ensure fair targeting, improve safety and dignity at distribution sites, and tailor assistance to their specific needs.

Inequality, Youth, Vulnerability