Maryam Aminu
The journey towards empowering the girl child is a continuous and dynamic process.
Advancing gender equality is at the heart of the Minister of Youth Development
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development and Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project have intensified effort to ensure that the girls-child from extremely poor and vulnerable households not only have access to education but would be given quality education that can guarantee them a better future.
The Minister of Youth Development Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim gave this hint on Thursday in Abuja while granting audience to a delegation from the AGILE Project led by the Coordinator Mrs Amina Buba Haruna, who came on a courtesy visit to seek the Ministry’s collaboration with the view to improve the life of every girl child in the country.
The AGILE project was launched in 2023 to increase access to secondary education among marginalized adolescent girls in Nigeria.
While speaking the Minister said: “The challenges faced by the girl child are numerous ranging from gender bias, lack of education, culturally imbibed malpractices, human trafficking, child marriage, poor health and sanitation amongst others.”
“That is why the government is working hard to address these challenges through innovative efforts and by working with other partners who are passionate about these issues.” She added.
Dr Bio Ibrahim emphasized that the government is ready to support any project that is meant for the lifting of youth in the country.
Speaking earlier, the Director/National Coordinator of AGILE Project, Mrs Amina Buba Haruna, said that girl child education constitutes the future of Nigeria and there is a need to nurture it to its growth.
She disclosed that they are not only taking the girls child out of the street but also creating an enabling environment for all the less privileged ones.
Mrs Haruna posited that educating adolescent girls is one of the primary approaches to addressing the challenges of development in the country.
She said that the project has 18 participating states adding that the project is scheduled to last for five years as the closing date for the project is 2028.
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