Nigeria and Turkiye have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening family cohesion and advancing social welfare in both countries.
Ahmed Danbazau, Head of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (FMoWASD), announced the development in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
The MoU was signed on Tuesday in Ankara, Turkiye, by Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of FMoWASD, and Mrs. Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services. The agreement was sealed during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Turkiye, in which Sulaiman-Ibrahim was part of the Nigerian delegation.
Describing the MoU as the culmination of a year-long engagement between the two countries, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said it aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. She emphasized the ministry’s commitment to working “faster and smarter” to positively impact 50 million Nigerians by 2030.
Key provisions of the MoU include strengthening families through Nigeria’s first National Action Plan on Families, expected by the end of the year, with the care economy identified as a critical pillar for supporting family structures.
The agreement will also focus on empowering women by promoting entrepreneurship, enhancing their socio-economic status, and establishing mentoring mechanisms to foster solidarity.
On child protection, the MoU prioritizes the development of holistic protection systems and early intervention mechanisms to prevent neglect and abuse. It further aims to include vulnerable groups by promoting full social participation for persons with disabilities and encouraging active ageing for senior citizens.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim described the MoU as a “sacred pact” to prioritize the family as the engine of national prosperity. She added that both countries would immediately begin exchanging experts and best practices to ensure that social protection initiatives deliver tangible results for households.
