Get Guardian on GoogleStakeholders have called for stronger collaboration among government, civil society organisations and development partners to address poverty, improve healthcare and education, strengthen social protection and promote food security.
They made the call at the opening of the new office of Onelife Initiative for Human Development in Ibadan, Oyo State, where the organisation presented its achievements over the past decade in youth development, education, healthcare, agriculture and civic engagement.
The Executive Director, Sola Fagorusi, said the organisation had reached 6,487 in-school adolescents with age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education, while 12,640 adolescents and young people had benefited from community-based programmes.
He said the organisation had also linked 67,714 girls and women to sexual and reproductive health services and trained 128 healthcare providers across Oyo, Ekiti and Akwa Ibom states.
Fagorusi described the new office as an important milestone in the organisation’s 10-year journey, saying it would strengthen operations, encourage partnerships and improve programme delivery.
He said its 2026–2030 strategic plan would focus on inclusive education, sexual and reproductive health and rights, agribusiness and enterprise development, governance and civic engagement.
On agriculture, he disclosed that the organisation had established 27.5 acres of learning and pilot plots and mobilised 3,955 smallholder farmers for cassava production in Ekiti State. The beneficiaries included 1,534 women and 1,105 young people.
He added that 1,919 horticultural farmers had received training in good agronomic practices and agricultural innovations, while 918 farmers had been equipped with knowledge to prevent aflatoxin contamination in maize.
The organisation also produced 36 radio drama episodes in Yoruba and English, reaching an estimated 8.6 million people through radio and television, and implemented 37 projects.
On governance, Fagorusi said it had developed 11 election briefs, submitted 15 Freedom of Information requests to government ministries, departments and agencies, and instituted five reproductive justice cases at the ECOWAS Court and High Courts.
He said the new facility, which includes offices for staff and interns, a digital production studio and a conference room, would provide opportunities for collaboration with civil society organisations and development partners.
A major highlight of the event was the unveiling of the organisation’s Standing School project, designed to improve literacy and numeracy among children, particularly those combining schooling with street trading and other activities to support their families.
Fagorusi said the initiative would provide informal learning opportunities through partnerships with community spaces, including viewing centres and television repair shops where children often gather.
He explained that digital learning materials would be used to teach basic literacy, spoken English and arithmetic, with the programme initially covering Oyo, Ekiti and Akwa Ibom states.
