Kaduna State Government has announced plans to integrate initiatives by the Society for Family Health (SFH) to address negative health indices and harness demographic dividends.
Dr Aisha Abubakar-Sadiq, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, disclosed this during the A360 Amplify Project ASRH Policy Dialogue and Transition Alignment meeting held yesterday in Zatia.
“The partner had a concept developed in a western country to provide us with a blueprint on how to develop and support our adolescent and young girls,” she said.
Abubakar-Sadiq, however, noted that despite commendable strides in sexual and reproductive health, there is data that demands urgent action. She revealed, “Nearly one in three girls aged between 15 and 19 in the state is already a mother or pregnant,” adding that contraceptive uptake among adolescents remains unacceptably low.
“Early marriage remains prevalent, particularly in rural local government areas, and we still face gender inequities, misinformation, stigma, and limited availability of youth-friendly health services (YFHS),” she said.
The permanent secretary highlighted that Kaduna State has a rapidly growing youthful population of over eight million residents, with more than 60 per cent under the age of 25.
“This reality positions Kaduna at a demographic crossroads, hence the crucial need to sustain the gains of the initiatives developed by the SFH,” she stated. Abubakar-Sadiq emphasised that stakeholder ownership, commitment, and sustainability are essential for the success of these initiatives.
In a separate interview, Mr Kenneth Okeineme, Health Governance and Public Policy Specialist with SFH, described the project as a flagship initiative for adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
Okeineme explained that the initiative focuses on married adolescent girls in northern Nigeria, aiming to promote the uptake of modern contraceptives and encourage child spacing to harness demographic dividends. He added that SFH is implementing the initiative in Kaduna through Matasan Matan Arewa (MMA) and has already recorded significant achievements.
