The Project Coordinator of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Education (AGILE) in Sokoto State, Dr Mansur Isa-Buhari, has called for collaboration with the media to enhance community awareness about the project.
In an interview following a media roundtable on understanding the project in Sokoto, Isa-Buhari highlighted that AGILE had reached over 1.6 million people across seven initial implementing states: Katsina, Ekiti, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Nasarawa, and Borno.
“AGILE is a Federal Government project supported by the World Bank, focusing on northern Nigeria to encourage and positively reposition girls’ education and future,” he said.
He noted that Sokoto had joined the implementing states and had renovated 367 junior and senior secondary schools across its 23 LGAs.
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By the end of the year, more individuals are expected to benefit from the project’s scholarship component, with 199,921 students already having received scholarships through conditional cash transfers nationwide.
Additionally, 6,914 schools have been renovated, and 6,704 WASH facilities have been provided.
The project has also equipped at least 6,000 girls with skills and digital literacy, impacting around 20 million girls across 18 states.
Isa-Buhari emphasized the importance of media involvement as a strategy to achieve the project’s objectives, counter misconceptions, and mobilize communities.
“The media is a positive mobilizer that can contribute to AGILE’s advocacy approach, helping the girl child and parents accept the project with an open mind,” he said.
He further highlighted the role of religious and community groups, ministries, and agencies in strengthening approaches and achieving the desired outcomes of the project.
