Abeokuta, Ogun State — In a bold step to confront the rising rates of teenage pregnancy, child marriage, and school dropout among adolescent girls, the African Girls Empowerment Network on Monday, 30 June 2025, conducted a high-level advocacy visit to key stakeholders in Ogun State.
The mission, led by Ms. Matina Ebri, Program Director and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) advocate, aimed to deepen collaboration with state institutions, leveraging sports as a strategic tool for empowering girls and promoting their health and rights.
At the Ogun State Ministry of Youth and Sports, the delegation was warmly welcomed by the Honourable Commissioner, Hon. Isiaka Adeniran Wasiu, who expressed strong support for the initiative.
“This initiative is timely and compelling,” Hon. Wasiu said. “The public will be highly interested in this approach. I will personally ensure you’re connected to relevant partners, and my team is available to assist whenever needed. Please keep me updated—I believe this program will go far.” he added.
Ms. Ebri emphasized that the Sport Girls’ Initiative is far more than a football program.
“We are integrating our reproductive health education programs, Chat4Health and Belle by Choice, into sports activities to help flatten the curve of adolescent health crises, including HIV and unwanted pregnancy,” she said. “It’s about building leadership, agency, and informed decision-making among girls.”
This intervention is especially crucial in Ogun State, where current statistics reveal troubling trends:
- Over 92,000 teenage pregnancies were recorded between 2016 and 2020—an average of more than 18,000 cases per year.
- 23% of girls in Ogun State are married before the age of 18, the highest child marriage rate in Southern Nigeria.
- The HIV prevalence rate among adolescents in the state is 1.6%, higher than the national average of 1.4%, with significant challenges in prevention and education.
The advocacy team also visited the Ministry of Health, where they met with Dr. Oshisanwo, Deputy Director of Public Health. She pledged to brief the Permanent Secretary and facilitated immediate access to state radio platforms for the Belle by Choice health talk segments.
Further engagements included submitting a formal request to the Primary Healthcare Board, with assurances of an upcoming meeting with the Director. At the Directorate of Nursing Services, the team was informed that preparations were underway for a formal meeting to discuss collaborative opportunities.
The Moment for Women magazine gathered that the Sport Girls’ Initiative is part of AGE Network’s broader campaign launched with support from the FIFA Foundation to advance girls’ rights through education, inclusion, and sport. By combining SRHR education with meaningful engagement through sports, the initiative seeks to transform narratives around adolescent girls, promote gender equality, and reduce their exposure to early pregnancy, forced marriage, and school dropout in the State.
“At AGE Network, we believe that building girls’ agency and creating safe, informed, and inclusive spaces for girls will reduce their vulnerability to child marriage, unwanted pregnancy, and HIV infection,” Ms. Ebri concluded.
For updates, follow @theAGENetwork across social platforms.
