Africa

Regional Context and Challenges

The Africa region carries one of the highest burdens of IDA globally. In West and Central Africa alone, around 65–68% of children aged 6–59 months are anemic—affecting an estimated 52 million children across 17 countries covered by a UNICEF regional analysis. Despite its scale, IDA is rarely treated as a standalone public health priority. It is often overshadowed by acute malnutrition and infectious diseases, and in public discourse it is still frequently framed as a women’s health issue rather than a pediatric one (UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Operational Guidance). 

Public awareness remains low, and most national reporting focuses on anemia broadly rather than iron deficiency specifically. This limits targeted action and reduces demand for preventive screening and treatment. Delivery constrains further impact: micronutrient powder programs, the primary large-scale intervention for iron deficiency, reach only a small fraction of eligible children in most countries. Screening infrastructure is also weak, with no established funding mechanisms for tools such as non-invasive devices, and overstretched healthcare workers limiting consistent implementation. Digital and AI-enabled screening approaches also face additional barriers, including limited connectivity in rural areas, privacy concerns among healthcare workers, and hesitation to use personal devices for health data collection. At a system level, UNICEF highlights a mismatch between funding flows and need: humanitarian and nutrition financing does not always align with the highest-burden geographies, reducing the effectiveness of interventions. Despite ongoing interventions, progress remains limited and uneven.