Stakeholders from the public and private sectors have been urged to implement support plans for the development of the Girl child in Nigeria.
The girl child has continued to suffer marginalization and abandonment and in some cases involved in early marriages due to traditions or custom cleavages.
This informed this global summit entitled ‘Girl Child Now: Nurturing our Women, Nigeria’s Own Wealth’ in Abuja, Nigeria, organized by World Health Organization, (WHO), Special Envoy and founder of the Emergency Coordination Center, (ECC), Dr. Ayoade Alakija.
At the summit, the Nigerian Minister of Finance, Budget and National planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed called for financial support for the education of the Girl Child.
Noting that education is a fundamental human right, she further calls for specific plans that would ensure the safety of schools which play a vital role in the progress of the economy and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs).
Mrs. Ahmed added that “to achieve these goals initiatives, Agencies, States, Non-Governmental organizations, (NGOs) and donor partners must be harmonized to achieve maximum desired results”.
Similarly, the Director General of the World Trade Organization, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also calls for actionable steps that addresses the needs of the girl child.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said that “investing in women is smart economics and investing in the girl child is even smarter economics”.
She called for more engagement in the safe school initiative especially as it addresses the girl child education and enhanced women participation in business and the economy.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Lang, referencing the British four pillar education strategy, urged the Nigerian government to spend more money in the education sector for its national development.
Addressing the issue of women health and Gender Based Violence (GBV), the Director General of the World Health Organization, WHO, Mr.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “investing in girl education is one of the best ways to break the circle of poverty and diseases for women. Education can empower girls to make informed health based decisions, increase their access to health services, improve their knowledge about sanitation hygiene and increase their current opportunities and delay marriage and child bearing”.
The Former British Prime Minister and United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr. Gordon Brown said Nigeria along-side Afghanistan holds some of the worst outcomes on the Girl child education, maternal and child health.
Mr. Brown called for the mobilization of domestic resources and global financial support to meet the needs of girls and other SDGs.
The ‘Girl Child Now summit brought together girls and women from across Nigeria, NGOs and Professionals and also featured panel discussions on possible solutions to the crucial challenges bedeviling the girl child.
The event also had in attendance Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, Nigeria’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Adeleke Mamora and international partners.
