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Clement Idoko | Abuja
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has officially flagged off the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, (AGILE) project as part of the commitment of his administration towards upholding the education and empowerment of Nigerian women and girls.
He inaugurated the project in Abuja during the presidential launch of the High-Level Advisory Council, (HLAC) to support women and girls’ projects and initiatives.
The essence of HLAC is to effectively coordinate women empowerment-focused programmes and initiatives in Nigeria such as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, (AGILE); the National Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy Dialogue; and Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU).
HLAC is also meant to be a standing presidential committee focused on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5) by the year 2030. It comprises representatives of government, multisectoral, public sector, private sector, social and technical sectors as well as an interministerial working group.
Buhari expressed delight at the inauguration of HLAC, and the subsequent launch of the AGILE project which he emphasised were indicative of his administration’s commitment to the advancement of women and girl-child empowerment in the country.
In his address, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, represented by the permanent secretary, Mr Andrew, David Adejoh briefed the president on the project’s current level of implementation at the federal and state levels.
The minister also revealed that the focus of the AGILE project is to impact the lives of 40 million Nigerians.
Adamu added that the Federal Ministry of Education was keen to ensure that the project is mainstreamed into existing government programmes so as to enhance the growth of institutions, sustainability, and attainment of government’s education goals.
He also appreciated President Buhari for his unwavering support to the education sector adding that the ministry’s goal is to promote progress in the attainment of goals in Universal Basic Education (UBE), Sustainable Development Goal 4, as well as to ensure that Nigerian learners and youths develop themselves to be assets to the nation.
In his remarks, the country director of World Bank, Mr Shubham Chaudri, commended the Federal Government on the launch of the AGILE project.
He opined that there was no better investment than girl-child education and empowerment.
Chaudri added that educating and empowering women would help in exploring and enhancing their potential to be productive members of society.
The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project is a five-year (2020-2025) World Bank-assisted project aimed at improving secondary school opportunities for adolescent girls in the current implementing states namely Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Plateau states.
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