Perspectives from religious and traditional leaders on health education and the WCA Commitment

“In African traditions, a tree grows straight only when its roots are firmly anchored in the ground.” – Elhadj Harouna KONE (Alliance of West African Religious Leaders for Health and Development – ARAO/SD).

The image says it all: a society can only stand strong if its young people grow up with strong reference points, rooted in responsibility, dignity, respect for life and solidarity. And these reference points do not come from a single household alone. “Our traditions […] teach us that the child belongs to the whole community,” he adds, a truth that resonates across many communities in West and Central Africa (WCA), where religious and traditional leaders occupy a unique place: they support families in times of vulnerability, ease tensions, pass on guidance and shape, on a daily basis, what communities consider acceptable, protective and just. Their voice is not limited to the spiritual or customary sphere. It can help open up space for dialogue around health education, respect, dignity, and the choices that determine the future of adolescents and young people.

For these leaders, health education cannot be reduced to technical content. It touches on the intimate sphere, social norms, and the way a community speaks, or remains silent, in the face of the realities experienced by young people. The challenges mentioned are many and concrete: early and unintended pregnancies, violence against women and girls, child marriage, HIV, school dropout, misinformation, but also addictions, including those linked to screens. Behind these issues, several voices stress the same urgency: to act quickly, but above all to act appropriately, with messages that are understandable, acceptable and protective.

One point comes through strongly: religious and traditional leaders see themselves as trusted actors who are often approached before other authorities. Imam ILBOUDO Alidou (imam and trainer (CERFI, AEEMB); actor in interfaith dialogue in Burkina Faso) puts it plainly: “in times of crisis, people sometimes turn to the spiritual leader before the decision-maker, before the doctor.” For him, this creates a specific responsibility: “more than shepherds of souls, we are agents of behavioural change.” He describes a role with several dimensions: moral authority, leading by example, the ability to legitimise behaviours that promote health, and above all the capacity to combat misinformation through credible guidance.

This credibility, they say, can only be mobilised if messages are framed in the language of the field — and within the cultural logic of communities. Imam Ilboudo insists on what he calls “cultural translation”: “translating these complex medical concepts into simple and culturally accepted language”, to the point of “transforming a health constraint into a spiritual duty”. In his view, this is not a workaround: it is a condition for buy-in. Without it, messages “will not be heard or followed”, because they will seem external, or even at odds with people’s values.

This need for contextualisation also cuts across faiths. Rev Dr Isaac G. Gbadero (senior pastor (Zaria, Nigeria); interfaith leader; FP ambassador; author) stresses that “Everything we do, if it is to succeed, must be adapted to our context.” He points to a tension that several acknowledge: even when the risks are obvious, some subjects remain difficult to address publicly. “Most of us do not even want to talk about these issues from our pulpits…” he admits, while calling for change. And because these taboos are often rooted in systems of values, Rev Dr James Movel Wuye (co-founder, Interfaith Mediation Centre, Kaduna, Nigeria) reminds us that “a broader vision” is needed to “re-educate communities through traditional and religious leaders”, drawing on the principle of “do no harm”.

A young voice rightly reminded participants of the cost of silence. Sira Sojourner Touré (young leader and coordinator of the WCA Community of Committed Young People (CJE-WCA) in Mali) insists on the intention: “we speak out not to challenge our values, but precisely to bring them to life and protect them.” She describes adolescences shaped by “fear, confusion, shame”, when no one dares explain bodily changes, respect, consent and risks. Her words capture the whole issue: “when [health and well-being education] is absent or incomplete, we look elsewhere. And often, that elsewhere is not a safe place.” She makes a simple request to leaders: “we need words that are true, that are fair”, and spaces where questions can be asked without judgement.

This idea — speaking in order to protect — also comes through in the appeal made by Sekou Mouhamed CONDE (Vice-President, ALERGUI – Association of Religious Leaders of Guinea), who places the issue at the heart of a spiritual and community responsibility: “Talking to young people about sexuality is not a threat to faith. It is a duty of responsibility. […] Silence is no longer protection. Education is. […] Daring to speak about sexuality is not encouraging moral decline. It is about preventing early pregnancies, HIV infections, gender-based violence and silent trauma.”

Leaders across WCA stress the need to strengthen coordination among themselves, both religious and traditional, and across countries. Marlène Juanita QUENUM (President, ALLO BENIN; member of the council of elders – ARAO/SD) underlines that the influence of leaders “goes beyond the spiritual sphere”: they can “catalyse lasting changes in behaviours that promote health”, provided they reconcile values and social commitments, overcome resistance, and invest in a shared language. She highlights a need for unity: levels of training and ownership vary from one country to another, and there is a need to strengthen an interfaith partnership capable of carrying joint campaigns, also drawing on community testimonies.

Traditional leaders also bring the discussion back to proof through action. Maiguizo Kané Mahamane Mansour (Chief of the Canton of Tessaoua, Niger; member of the Steering Committee of the Council of Traditional Authorities of Africa – COTLA) calls for “preaching more through action than through words”. He stresses solidarity, perseverance, and the capacity of communities to take charge of their own future, by adapting initiatives to rural realities and strengthening social protection, especially for girls.

Running through all these contributions is a clear conviction: health education cannot be carried out in silos. This is precisely one of the structuring principles of the WCA Commitment, which promotes a multisectoral approach linking education, health, protection and influential actors closest to communities. Several speakers therefore call for more coordinated dynamics between religious leaders, traditional authorities and the health and education sectors, with greater documentation and sharing of good practices, in order to align messages, strengthen ownership, and sustain mobilisation from regional level right down to local level. They point to the importance of parent–child dialogue and intergenerational dialogue, as well as the fight against misinformation, but also the need to integrate new concerns such as addictions — including screen-related ones — and mental health, which directly influence the vulnerabilities and violence that the WCA Commitment seeks to prevent.

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These perspectives were gathered during a regional webinar held online on 10 February 2026, which brought together more than sixty religious and traditional leaders from many WCA countries. This exchange took place within the momentum of the WCA Commitment, which aims to support adolescents and young people who are educated, healthy and thriving, through a multisectoral and rights-based approach grounded in intergenerational dialogue and accountability. The discussions confirmed a shared ambition: to strengthen, over time, the involvement of religious and traditional leaders as key allies of the WCA Commitment, in support of a common voice that is contextualised, non-stigmatising and focused on practical solutions. A voice and guidance that respond to the needs of adolescents and young people in relation to health, education and gender equality.