UN Women Care Snapshots for West and Central Africa

Care work, both paid and unpaid, is essential for vibrant and sustainable economies and societies. In Sub‑Saharan Africa, women spend on average 3.1 times more hours on unpaid care and domestic work than men, including fetching water, collecting firewood, doing laundry, preparing food, and caring for children, older persons, people with disabilities, and the sick. This limits women’s opportunities to participate fully in the economy and affects their livelihoods, businesses, and career prospects, while slowing inclusive growth across the region. 

The paid care sector—largely dominated by women—is also marked by low wages and poor working conditions, further deepening economic insecurity and gender inequalities.

To help inform policymaking and investment in care solutions, the UN Women Regional Office for West and Central Africa has launched the Care Snapshots. These country‑level assessments provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the care economy and care systems in ten countries: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo. Each Snapshot highlights existing policies and reforms, identifies gaps, and makes the case for investing in care systems as a driver of women’s economic empowerment and sustainable development. 

The Care Snapshots offer practical, action‑oriented recommendations for governments, civil society, researchers, and development partners. They are designed to guide policymaking and inspire innovative solutions that recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work, promote women’s entrepreneurship in the paid sector, and ensure that women’s time, skills, and contributions are valued as essential to resilient economies and societies.