The Regional Director for West and Central Africa of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr Sennen HOUNTON, is taking part in the 4th edition of the Lake Chad Basin Governors' Forum in N'Djamena, organized by the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This 4th edition was kicked off by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Limane Mahamat.
The meeting, which brings together the governors of the eight Lake Chad Basin territories affected by the Boko Haram crisis and technical and financial partners, aims to identify opportunities for promoting peace and strengthening regional collaboration.
With a population of over 30 million, the Lake Chad Basin regions of Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad face enormous development, peace and security challenges.
Due to cultural and social similarities, the populations of the Lake Chad Basin face similar reproductive health and development challenges.These include high rates of child marriage, fertility and maternal mortality. The region also faces peace and security challenges, as well as challenges linked to the extreme youth of its population.