Aisha Buhari Calls for Urgent Investment in Africa’s Out-of-School Girls

The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari has called for urgent investment in Africa’s out-of-school teenage girls.

Buhari  made the call at a side event organised by the Federal Government in collaboration with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) at the UN headquarters on Wednesday in New York.

The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was part of the ongoing 50th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development.

Buhari, whose speech was read by Rep. Asabe Bashir, Deputy Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on Women in Parliament, said the population of Africa’s out-of-school teenage girls was alarming.

“Out-of-school teenage girls – ages 10 to 19 years – represent almost a quarter of the female population in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“These girls are without opportunities to attend schools or complete their education because of severe economic, social and cultural issues.

“These issues include poverty;  forced or child marriage; childbearing and motherhood; and lack of access to quality and timely reproductive health care services among others.

“The conditions are particularly worse for those girls caught in the web of insurgency.

“Thus, they are on the verge of losing the opportunities of achieving their aspirations,’’  Buhari said.

According to her, the event was Nigeria’s means of calling global attention on the three enumerated areas of investment that are prerequisite to realising the girls’ full potential.

“First is addressing their sexual and reproductive health needs, family planning counselling and services.

“Second, re-enrolment into formal schools to at least secondary school completion level; and third, skills acquisition and entrepreneurship’’.

The wife of the president explained that the event was aimed at presenting different dimensions of the challenges that these out-of-school teenage girls encountered.

“It is also to showcase how a modest investment in their lives can make difference and accrue benefits that are important for realising the future we want in Africa.

“The future that we want is reaping demographic dividends, achieving sustainable development and relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to our development aspirations.

“By this, Nigeria welcomes partnerships and collaborations that will support efforts in Africa.

“Such efforts must be tailored towards ensuring that these girls are not left behind as we strive to achieve the SDGs.”