The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive sexuality education and empowerment of adolescent girls and young women in Nigeria as the world observes International Day of the Girl Child. AHF notes that more than 4,000 young women aged 15‑24 contract HIV each week worldwide, with over 3,300 of those cases occurring in Sub‑Saharan Africa.
Dr. Echey Ijezie, Nigeria Country Programmes Director of AHF, delivered this message during the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child commemoration in Uyo, Akwa Ibom. He emphasized that deliberate efforts are required to expand access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health services, for adolescent girls and young women. Increased investment in HIV/STI prevention, testing, and treatment programs, as well as addressing “period poverty,” is essential to curb the spread of HIV among adolescents.
The event aimed to protect girls from HIV, celebrate their achievements, and underscore the need to broaden opportunities for them to thrive and stay healthy. Nevertheless, young girls continue to face challenges such as poor menstrual health, limited access to reproductive health services, and child marriage. Globally, adolescent girls and young women bear a disproportionate HIV burden, with 1.9 million living with HIV in 2023 compared with 1.2 million boys and young men of the same age.
Inibehe Silas Etukudo, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare in Akwa Ibom, acknowledged these challenges but highlighted the resilience of girls and their ability to break barriers. She pledged to create platforms for girls’ voices and ideas, nurture their leadership skills, and unleash their potential. The state is working to secure funding and programs that empower girls through scholarships, health initiatives, and other empowerment efforts.
AHF State Coordinator Dr. Ekemini Essien and Linkage Coordinator Jessica Charles also stressed the importance of girl‑child empowerment, access to accurate information, healthcare, education, and decision‑making. The event included the distribution of sanitary pads, toiletries, and mentoring opportunities for adolescent girls, reinforcing the need to address the unique challenges they face.
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