Imo State inaugurates TWG on Adolescent, Young People’s Health and Development

By ThankGod Emeh…

To ensure that the adolescent and young people receive access and capture in all health programs in their activities, Imo state has inaugurated the Technical Working Group on Adolescent and Young People’s Health and Development (STWGAYHD)

Speaking during the inauguration that took place at the state Ministry of Health conference hall on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mrs. Chioma Egu said the STWGAYHD will serve as a platform for strategic alignment, technical leadership, and policy coherence across sectors, including health, education, youth development, gender affairs, and social protection. Its core mandate will encompass the development and harmonization of policies, the provision of technical guidance for programme implementation, the strengthening of service delivery systems, and the facilitation of resource mobilization to support scale and sustainability.

“Furthermore, the Technical Working Group will play a critical role in monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that interventions are data driven, results oriented, and accountable to both government and the people we serve. By bringing together diverse stakeholders under a unified framework, aimed at to eliminating duplication, enhance efficiency, and create synergies that accelerate progress”.

The commissioner represented by the permanent secretary, Mr. Kennedy Adinnu said, “This platform will also prioritize meaningful youth engagement, ensuring that adolescents and young people are not merely passive recipients of services, but active contributors to the design, implementation, and evaluation of programmes that affect their lives, thereby strengthening ownership, relevance, and long-term impact”.

“The establishment of the Imo State Technical Working Group on Adolescent and Young People’s Health and Development will bring the needed impact. This gathering is not merely ceremonial, it is strategic, forward looking, and deeply consequential for the future of our state”.

“Adolescents and young people represent not only a significant proportion of our population, but also the most dynamic segment of our human capital, full of potential, innovation, and promise. However, this potential
The establishment of this Technical Working Group is made possible by the Imo State Ministry of Health, with strong support from Community & Youth Development Initiatives, CYDI, through the UNESCO Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future, O3 Project, reflecting a powerful example of strategic partnership and shared commitment”.

“This event signals a bold step to institutionalize a coordinated, evidence driven, and multisectoral approach to adolescent and young people’s health and development, ensuring that our interventions are not fragmented, but unified, impactful, and sustainable”.

“According to the World Health Organization, WHO, adolescence is a transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood, characterized by rapid physical, emotional, and social changes, identity formation, and increased exposure to risks. An adolescent is defined as any person between the ages of 10 and 19 years. These definitions are not merely academic, they underscore the complexity and sensitivity of this life stage, which requires targeted policies and responsive systems. Population projections further reinforce the scale of responsibility before us, in Nigeria, adolescents constitute about 23 percent of the population, over 49 million individuals, while in Imo State, they represent approximately 21 percent, over 1.1 million young people. These figures are drawn from the National Population Commission Nigeria, 2020, Nigeria Population Projection and Demographic Indicators, State and National, Abuja, Nigeria”.

“This demographic reality places a clear obligation on government and partners to design and implement interventions that are both proportional and impactful. It is also important to note that schools remain the primary environment where adolescents spend a significant portion of their formative years, making them critical entry points for health education, behavioural change communication, and early intervention services, and reinforcing the importance of strong collaboration between the health and education sectors”.

The consultant and resource person at the event, Mr. Benjamin Mbakwem took the participants through the objective and background of STWGAYHD.

He talked about the nine programmatic priority areas of National Policy on the Health and Development of Adolescents and Young People in Nigeria (2020-2024), Identified gaps and actionable priorities for the TWG and presented an overview of the Guide for Establishing and Operationalizing State Technical Working Group on AYPHD.

Speaking on background, he said that young people between the ages of 10 and 24 years constitute almost a third of Nigeria’s population, constitute the critical link between childhood and adulthood and a major force in the nation’s development quest, failure to ensure the health and well-being of adolescents may result in wastage of investments previously made in the childhood state and will also lay a foundation for poor health in adulthood and that health situation of today’s young people will not only determine the overall health situation of the country but will impact every facet of national development.

The highpoint of the event was the inauguration of the executive of committee. The leadership includes:
Dr Uloma Evi-Parker, Director of Public Health of ministry of Health who is the Chairperson, Felxfame Enisire, CYDI – Co-Chair, Chinedu Ugwuezumba, Imo SACA – Data Officer and Special Seat for a Young Person (15-29)