Foreign
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria has signed a N2.2 billion project agreement with the Norwagian Government on Advancing Access to Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescent Girls and Women.
The information is in a statement issued by Hajiya Kori Habib, the Media Associate of UNFPA Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday.
Habib stated that Mr Knut Lein, the Norwagian Ambassador to Nigeria, signed on behalf of the Norway Government, while Ulla Mueller, the Country Representative of UNFPA Nigeria signed for the UN body.
She added that the three-year project agreement is aimed at stepping up access to Sexual and Reproductive Heath Rights of Women and Adolescents.
She said “the new project would consolidate and build on the achievements of the recently concluded Norway-funded project titled Integrated Approach to Empowering Adolescent Girls and Women in Gombe and Akwa Ibom states.
“The goal of the project is to improve access to SRHR for adolescent girls and women in selected local government areas of Gombe, Akwa Ibom and Kaduna.”
The project is also aimed at improving access to quality family planning counselling and services, increase access to quality emergency obstetrics and newborn care services, and access to sexual and reproductive health information and life skills for adolescent girls.
Habib listed the expected beneficiaries of the project to include 180,000 women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) at risk of unplanned pregnancies and 2,000 women and girls living with complications of obstetric fistula.
Other beneficiaries are 6,500 adolescent girls (4,000 aged 10-14 years and 2,500 aged 15-19 years) at risk of early and forced marriage, 30,000 adolescent boys, as well as 520 healthcare workers who would be trained to deliver quality SRH/FP, including emergency obstetric care and fistula management services.
The media associate expressed the Fund’s appreciation to the governments of Gombe, Akwa Ibom and Kaduna states and assured them of UNFPA’s collaboration.
She also conveyed the Fund’s appreciation to federal ministries of health, women affairs and education for their leadership and support in improving the well-being of women, girls and young people in the country.
She emphasised the imperatives of ending unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths and ending violence and harmful practices against women and girls.
Habib reiterated UNFPA’s commitment to ensuring that every pregnancy is wanted, every child birth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled, and thanked the Norwagian Foreign Affairs Ministry for their donations. (NAN)
A.I
Tags: Hajiya Kori Habib Mr Knut Lein Ulla Mueller UNFPA
