Ministry of youth and sports to collaborate with UNFPA on youth empowerment

The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development is to collaborate with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to initiate and implement  programmes that would enable  youth to realize their potentials for national development, even as the Ministry is committed to actualizing the thematic contents of the National Youth Policy to create champions of  youths.

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare made this commitment when the Country Director of the UNFPA, Ms. Ulla E. Mueller paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

 The Minister stressed that the youth  policy is well-grounded on  education, health, inclusiveness, politics, drug abuse etc which are in sync with  the five key areas of UNFPA. ‘’ It is only proper that the Ministry collaborates with  UNFPA on  key areas to make champions  of our youths by  providing them  opportunities and support to actualize their potentialities. The Ministry will work with you to sustain the momentum and expected outcome to re-engage and contribute counterpart funding’’, the  Minister  affirmed.

Towards the actualisation of this mandate, a working Group comprising Officials from  the Ministry and UNFPA would be constituted to consider areas of  mutual benefits.

The Minister emphasized that efforts will be made to engage the National Bureau of Statistics to create a National Youth Data Base that will provide valuable demographic information  on various professions for national  youth development.

In her remarks, the Country Representative of UNFPA, Ms. Ulla E. Mueller assured  that the international agency would cooperate and collaborate with the Ministry to actualize its vision and mandate for youth and gender development. ‘’To actualize our mandate, we have to work with your Ministry’’.

 While acknowledging the  purposeful initiatives and programmes of the Ministry to alleviate the socio-economic status  of the youths, Ms. Mueller stated that the agency will  leverage and synergize on the  programmes to address issues of maternal health,  safe delivery, youth inclusiveness, HIV and gender based violence among the youths.