Empowering Youth Key to Achieving Family Health Goals – Stakeholders
By Baba Dan’Iya
Stakeholders have called for increased investment in youth empowerment to promote informed reproductive health choices and sustainable development, as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the 2025 World Population Day.
The call was made on Friday in Lagos during a joint statement by the National Population Commission, The Challenge Initiative (TCI), and other key development partners under the theme: “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world.”
The statement emphasised the need for Nigeria’s leadership at all levels to prioritise the health, rights, and opportunities of adolescents and young adults, who form a significant portion of the country’s population.
Dr Taiwo Johnson, Country Director of TCI Nigeria Hub, underscored the importance of reproductive health education and access to services.
“Empowering young people with knowledge and access to services is not just a health issue—it’s a rights issue,” Johnson said.
TCI, funded by the Gates Foundation and Bayer, supports state and local governments to scale up family planning and reproductive health interventions.
Through programmes such as Life Planning for Adolescents and Youth (LPAY), TCI promotes comprehensive sexuality education and youth-friendly health services across Nigeria.
The initiative also trains health workers to provide confidential and respectful care, while leveraging community influencers and digital platforms to challenge myths and stigma surrounding contraceptive use.
“Through our institutional capacity building and community mobilisation efforts, we are helping young people make informed decisions and lead change in their communities,” Johnson added.
Abiodun Ajayi, LPAY Champion and Executive Director of Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI), stressed the need for youth-centred investments.
“This World Population Day is a reminder that young people’s needs must not be sidelined,” he said. “We need investment in education, in health systems, and in policies that give us the tools to thrive.”
Also speaking, Ms Suliyat Eletu, Communications Programme Officer at Development Communications Network (DevComs), echoed the call for youth inclusion in development planning.
“Young people must be at the centre of development. Their choices matter. Their dreams matter. And with the right support, they will lead the way toward healthier families and thriving communities,” she said.
The stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to removing barriers such as misinformation, stigma, and lack of youth-friendly services, which continue to hinder reproductive health outcomes among Nigerian youth.
They urged policymakers, civil society organisations, donors, and the media to scale up advocacy and investment in adolescent and youth health, as a critical pathway to achieving equitable and inclusive national development.
