By Wallace Mawire
As millions of fans prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, six celebrated African footballers are calling time on polio, urging the continent to unite and kick the disease out of Africa.
In partnership with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the football legends launch the “Kick Out Polio” campaign, rallying families, government leaders, youth, and community and civil society leaders to step up efforts to vaccinate every child against polio.
Polio is a highly infectious and debilitating disease that once paralyzed more than 1,000 children every day. Decades of global collaboration have brought the world to the brink of eradication – saving an estimated 20 million children from paralysis and 1.5 million lives. Africa has made huge strides towards eradication, but polio outbreaks continue across several countries, putting children everywhere at risk.
Sébastien Haller (Côte d’Ivoire); Naby Keïta (Guinea); Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon); Rodolfo Bodipo Díaz (Equatorial Guinea); Michael Essien (Ghana); and Bruno Ecuele Manga (Gabon) star in the “Kick Out Polio” campaign, which will run throughout AFCON 2025.
The footballers are sharing their journeys of perseverance and launching a football challenge on social media to show parents and leaders alike that even the toughest challenges can be overcome.
Today, progress against polio in Africa is threatened by funding cuts, conflict, vaccine hesitancy and strained health systems, making this final stage of eradication the most difficult.
Despite ongoing challenges, Africa is making strides against polio. Between January and October 2025, 15 countries reached nearly 200 million children with life‑saving polio vaccines. Coordinated campaigns across regions — from the Horn of Africa to the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel — have demonstrated the power of cross‑border collaboration, protecting tens of millions of children.
The “Kick Out Polio” campaign calls for everyone in the region to support the urgent need to vaccinate every child against polio until the virus is wiped out for good. With renewed commitment from governments, communities, and families, Africa can kick out polio.
“I overcame many challenges in my football career to become who I am today. In the same way, I believe Africa can overcome the challenge of eradicating polio and achieve a polio‑free future. If I could make it, I know Africa can too. We must keep pushing to eliminate this last percentage of the disease so that all children can grow up healthy,” says Michael Essien.
“Polio is an illness that we simply need to take seriously. People need to go for vaccinations, take your children. Vaccination is what will save us,” says Naby Keïta.
“My message to African leaders is to stand together, to be united, because we need to defeat polio. We need to defeat it because we need Africa’s youth. Young people are our future,” says Bruno Ecuele Manga.
“My dream is for Africa to be totally eradicated of polio. Africa, it is our turn to give a red card to polio,” says Fabrice Ondoa.
“We know that in Africa polio is a big problem and that we must fight against this very serious disease. Now it’s your turn. Together, we are going to eradicate polio,” says Rodolfo Bodipo Díaz.
“In Africa, polio is a real health issue, especially for children. Once there is no more polio, it will be a great victory,” says Sébastien Haller.
UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything we do. Together with their partners, they work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
