kidnapped schoolchildren in Nigeria exceeds 1,680 since the 2014 Chibok girls abduction

More than 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, with fear of attacks stopping some children from ever attending school, said Save the Children.

In April 2014, the abduction from a school in Chibok made global headlines and sparked the #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests, which attracted public support from celebrities and public figures including Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton, and then First Lady Michelle Obama. 

However new data analysis by Save the Children reveals that attacks on schools have been continuing out the spotlight and highlights the violence that schoolchildren and teachers face across Nigeria.

In addition to the abductions, over 180 schoolchildren were killed and nearly 90 injured in 70 attacks between April 2014 and December 2022, with an estimated 60 school staff kidnapped and 14 killed. Twenty-five school buildings were reportedly destroyed during that period.

Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Most of these attacks took place in North-West Nigeria (49 attacks), followed by North-Central Nigeria (11 attacks).  These attacks have long-lasting consequences for communities and for children’s access to education, often leading to the mass withdrawal of children from school and school closures. In Katsina state in the North-Western part of the country, nearly 100 schools remain closed due to insecurity, affecting the education of over 30,000 children. 

Famari Barro, Country Director at Save the Children Nigeria, said more needs to be done to prevent attacks but also to support children and their families in the aftermath. 

In 2015 Nigeria endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, which seeks to ensure the continuity of safe education during armed conflict and outlines commitments to strengthen the protection of education from attack, but it remains largely unimplemented at the state and community levels. Rural community schools remain vulnerable to attacks. 

Save the Children has been working in Nigeria since 2001 and responding to the humanitarian crisis since 2014, providing food, clean water, nutrition and protection services, sexual and reproductive health care, and education to families across the region. 

Save the Children is also providing technical support to the government on policy changes and reforms, especially in critical sectors such as health, education, and social protection.  

In 2017, Save the Children launched Schools as Zones of Peace, a project which works with partners in Education in Emergencies Working Group (EIEWG) to support the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration and its guidelines to ensure the protection of education from attack.

Source: APO Group

U.S.-Africa Business Summit set for July 11-14 2023 in Gaborone, Botswana

During a recent visit to Gaborone, Botswana, Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) President and CEO Florizelle “Florie” Liser was honored to meet with H.E. Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of the Republic of Botswana, who reiterated his Government’s commitment to successfully co-hosting the 15th U.S.-Africa Business Summit (USABS) in Botswana later this year.

Ms. Liser made the announcement with Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Hon. Mmusi Kgafela that the Summit will be held July 11-14 2023 in Gaborone.

President Masisi noted that key Cabinet officials who attended the meeting were ready to mobilize their ministries and work collaboratively with CCA and the private sector to organize a highly successful Summit.

Florie Liser with H.E. Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of the Republic of Botswana

The U.S.-Africa Business Summit is the Corporate Council on Africa’s premier annual event, bringing together African heads of state, senior U.S. and African government officials, and top CEO’s and senior business executives from the U.S. and Africa spanning major business sectors that are critical to the continent’s development. These include infrastructure, ICT / digital, health, energy, mining, agriculture, consumer goods, finance, tourism and creative industries.

The 15th USABS theme “Enhancing Africa’s Value in Global Value Chains” highlights an issue that was heavily discussed during the U.S. - Africa Business Forum, hosted by President Joseph R. Biden on the second day of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC in December 2022. During the Forum, President Biden announced more than $55 billion in new U.S. government programs to support trade, investment and development in Africa along with more than $15 billion in new trade and investment deals made by private sector companies that were in attendance.

 CCA was proud to have co-organized the U.S.-Africa Business Forum which highlighted opportunities for greater collaboration between the U.S. and African private sector. This year’s CCA Summit will build on and advance those discussions, further deepening U.S.-Africa economic engagement and business ties.

 With a desire to keep the positive momentum going from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and Business Forum, Ms. Florie Liser stated that " the U.S.-Africa Business Summit is an important platform and opportunity to again bring together U.S. and African government and private sector leaders to grow U.S.-Africa trade, business, and mutually beneficial gains for the people and businesses of both the United States and Africa.”

Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry the Honorable Mmusi Kgafela said, “We look forward to working with our partners at the Corporate Council on Africa to herald a new era of two-way trade and investment between Africa and the United States. We welcome U.S. private sector businesses to drive investment and technology that can enhance Africa’s role in key global value chains, create jobs, and spur economic growth here in Botswana and across the continent.”

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