Improved wellbeing of adolescent, young adults critical to achieving sustainable development- Health Minister

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, on Thursday, reiterated the government’s commitment to improve the well-being of adolescents and young adults in the country.

Mr Pate, who spoke at the “Global Forum for Adolescents 2023” in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said the well-being of adolescents is critical to achieving sustainable development.

The minister acknowledged the importance of adopting a whole-government approach to addressing the multiple and intersecting factors that impact adolescents in the country.

“We are committed to improving adolescents’ well-being and accelerating the achievement of related Sustainable Development Goals priority for adolescents and young people as a smart investment in the future of our societies, economies, and the planet,” he said.

“We are also committed to prioritising adolescent wellbeing and raising SDG priorities in our national development plans and strategies to ensure disaggregated data collection so that we better understand the challenges and opportunities for ensuring adolescents’ wellbeing.

He said the government will also integrate adolescent-specific aggregators 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 well-being.

Financial commitment

Mr Pate said the government is willing to increase its financial commitments and develop programmes and service delivery actions that would improve adolescents’ well-being.

He said by making these commitments, the government agreed to register them on the SDG Summit Acceleration and Accountability Platform.

“We commit to systematically report on the implementation of those commitments through existing follow-up and review processes including the voluntary national review process,” he said.

In her remarks, the Executive Director at Gem Hub Initiative, Oyeyemi Pitan, underscored the importance of investing in the health and well-being of adolescents and the commitment to creating a brighter and healthier future for the nation.

Mrs Pitan emphasised the commitment to ensure that no adolescent is left behind and that their health and well-being are a top priority in the country.

Focus group

Speaking at the event, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nigeria Representative, Gifty Addico, said adolescents and young people under 25 years make up about 63 per cent of the nation’s population and are a key focus group for UNFPA mandate areas.

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Ms Addico, represented by the Gender/FGM Analyst of the agency, Karima Saidu, said the mandate areas cut across three transformative goals of zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero tolerance for Gender-Based Violence and other harmful practices.

“I keenly anticipate the commitment pledges from the government and our esteemed partners today. This isn’t mere rhetoric but a heartfelt promise to our Nigerian youths, underlining our collective commitment to their aspirations,” she said.

About global forum

The Global Forum for Adolescents aims to unite young people in the largest-ever gathering for adolescent well-being.

It is a key milestone within the 1.8 billion young people for change campaign and is co-produced and co-owned by young people and multiple stakeholders, including United Nations agencies.

The theme of the forum is “With and for Adolescents, Our Future is Now.”