The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has emphasized the need for intensive sexuality education and empowerment of adolescent girls and young women in Nigeria, as the world marks the International Day of the Girl Child. According to AHF, over 4,000 young women aged 15-24 are infected with HIV worldwide every week, with more than 3,300 of these cases occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Echey Ijezie, Nigeria Country Programmes Director of AHF, made this call during the commemoration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child in Uyo, Akwa Ibom. He stressed that deliberate efforts are required to expand access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health services, for adolescent girls and young women. Additionally, increased investment in HIV/STI prevention, testing, and treatment programs, as well as addressing “period poverty,” are essential to stem the tide of HIV spread among adolescents.
The event aimed to protect girls from HIV, honor their achievements, and highlight the need to expand opportunities for them to thrive and stay healthy. However, young girls still 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 to 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 the challenges girls face but emphasized their resilience and ability to break barriers. She promised to create opportunities for girls’ voices and ideas to be heard, their leadership skills nurtured, and their potentials unleashed. The state is working to secure funding and programs to empower girls through scholarships, health initiatives, and other empowerment programs.
The AHF State Coordinator, Dr. Ekemini Essien, and Linkage Coordinator, Jessica Charles, also emphasized the need for girl-child empowerment, access to right information, healthcare, education, and decision-making. The event included the distribution of sanitary pads, toiletries, and mentoring opportunities for adolescent girls, reinforcing the importance of addressing the unique challenges they face.
