Street children in French-speaking Africa ^{CEFR B2}

International and local figures show street children are a widespread challenge across French-speaking Africa. In 2021 the International Catholic Child Bureau reported more than 120 million street children worldwide, including roughly 30 million in Africa; the number in Africa is estimated to rise to 35 million by 2025. The issue appears in many cities and typically receives limited attention in national development strategies.

Multiple factors push children onto the streets. Humanium lists poverty, wars, violence, past abuse, exploitation and despair, and in some places families reject children after accusing them of witchcraft. Economic and social marginalisation has produced varied local terms and social networks that shape life on the streets.

Country examples show local complexity. In Cameroon the word Mboko (from Nanga-boko) refers to children who sleep outside; the term links to migration routes to Yaoundé and to youth groups connected with drug use and Mbolé music. The Elang City song "Toaster Le Yamo" is cited as depicting unemployed young people and criticising their difficulties rather than promoting drugs. In the DRC the Lingala term Shégué denotes street children, some of whom join armed gangs called Kulunas and take part in theft and violent attacks in Kinshasa. In Côte d’Ivoire child gangs called microbes often work or fight to support families; microbes have been involved in armed robbery and killings, particularly in Abidjan, and reports connect some youths to the 2021 political crisis that led to former President Laurent Gbagbo’s arrest. Filmmaker Alex Ogou’s series "Invisibles" highlights how many of these children are abandoned or left to fend for themselves.

Despite civil society initiatives, ensuring dignity and security for street children in urban areas remains difficult. Many governments appear to give the issue limited priority, and long-term solutions are still uncertain.