By Hassan Zaggi
The Federal Government has restated its commitment to prioritise adolescents well-being and related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) priorities in its national development plans and strategies.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohummad Ali Pate, disclosed this at the Global Forum for Adolescents 2023, in Abuja, on Thursday.
This, according to him, is to ensure “disaggregated data collection so that we better understand the challenges and opportunities for ensuring adolescent well-being and to integrate adolescent specific indicators into the monitoring and reporting frameworks by meaningfully engaging the adolescents themselves and young people in the design implementation and monitoring of policies and programmes that affect their wellbeing.”
According to him: “We commit to improving adolescents well-being and accelerate the achievement of related SDG priorities for adolescents and young people as a smart investment in the future of our societies, economies and the planet.
“On behalf of the government of Nigeria, we commit to strive to increase our financial commitment in the polices that we make and also develop programmes and service delivery actions that will improve adolescents wellbeing
“The federal government of Nigeria is totally committed to all efforts directed at the realization of adolescents and young people potentials in nation building for them to become healthy adolescents now, healthy adults in the future and flourishing healthy generations in the future.”
By making this commitments, Prof. Pate said, “we agree to register our commitments on the SDG summit acceleration and accountability platform, we commit to systematically report on the implementation of these commitments through existing follow up and review processes including the voluntary national review process.”
In a message of goodwill, the Coordinator of Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), Dr. Aminu Magashi Garba, disclosed that AHBN is currently hosting a meaningful Adolescent and Youth Engagement Working Group that has over 200 young persons whose capacity are being built, mentored and strategically placed in spaces where they are heard and able to speak in decision making gatherings. “With and for them”
Represented by the AHBN’s Information & Youth Engagement Officer, Halima Bello, Dr. Magashi revealed that AHBN is leading the collaborative advocacy action plan on women, children and adolescents.
“This is a supportive initiative to collaboratively harness the implementation process of existing policies and the recreation of new ones.
“Also in AHBN capability, there’s full support for the finalisation and Validation of RMCAEH+N strategy and implementation support,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Director at Gem Hub Initiative, Mrs Oyeyemi Pitan, reiterated that adolescence is a transformative period in a person’s life, filled with dreams, challenges, and endless possibilities.
She, however, warned that “it is also a time when vulnerabilities can emerge if we fail to provide the support, education, and healthcare that our adolescents need.
“We must empower our adolescents with knowledge, protect their rights, and create a safe environment where they can thrive and grow.
“We must listen to their voices, respect their diversity, and acknowledge their invaluable contributions to our society.”
