The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday to combat poverty and rights violations affecting children in Nigeria. The agreement, formalised at the launch of the NESG‑UNICEF partnership in Abuja, will receive support from the Federal Government.
Speaking at the event, NESG chairman Niyi Yusuf emphasized that children are central to the group’s mandate and that urgent action is needed to promote their development. He reiterated NESG’s commitment to modernising the Nigerian economy into a sustainable, globally competitive system that delivers shared prosperity. Yusuf described Nigerian children as a national asset and stressed the importance of investing in them so they can become tomorrow’s leaders. Citing the Multi‑Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released last year, he noted that two‑thirds of Nigerian children are multidimensionally poor, with 51 % of all poor people being children. Consequently, more than half of poor children lack the intellectual stimulation essential for early childhood development. Yusuf called the partnership “timely and significant,” adding that UNICEF’s expertise in humanitarian and developmental aid will help ensure children’s rights are respected and that they receive the support needed to become productive citizens.
UNICEF Nigeria Representative Cristian Munduate echoed this sentiment, stating that the collaboration aligns with UNICEF’s commitment to protect children’s rights in Nigeria and worldwide. She highlighted that investing in children—particularly through proper nutrition and care during the first 1,000 days of life—has a profound impact on their ability to learn, grow, and escape poverty, thereby breaking the cycle of deprivation for families, communities, and the nation. The partnership will focus on aligning the country’s poverty‑reduction strategy with the child and national multidimensional poverty indices, reviewing social‑sector policies to reduce child poverty, and implementing presidential‑level accountability measures for reporting and feedback.
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