At the end of 2012, sub-Saharan Africa was home to 71% of the 35.3 million people living with HIV worldwide. Despite all the preventive and therapeutic efforts accomplished so far, the epidemic is persisting with approximately 1,600,000 new HIV infections occurring yearly in this region that is characterized by different epidemiological profiles. In West Africa, the epidemic is disproportionally concentrated among female sex workers (FSWs) who are involved directly or indirectly in 75% to 90% of HIV transmission cases towards the general population through "bridging" populations, essentially their clients and other male sexual partners. Hence, to achieve the control of the epidemic in this sub-region, especially in West Africa where the epidemic is much less generalized than in many other parts of the continent, it is important to tailor combination prevention including behavioural, structural, and biological components for the sex work milieu in general and FSWs in particular, in addition to ensuring adequate treatment of those already HIV-infected. However, despite substantial efforts in usual prevention methods in the last 10 years and effective reductions in the prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with concomitant increases in condom use in some countries, HIV prevalence is still high among FSWs in West Africa, with these highly vulnerable women having an HIV prevalence over 12 times higher than other women of reproductive age. Such a situation could constitute a threat to the progress achieved in controlling the HIV epidemic in this region.