The Kaduna Government has unveiled the National Policy on the Health and Development of Adolescent (AYP).
The Federal Government on Aug. 20, 2021 unbeiled four adolescent health and development policies from 2021 to 2025.
The State Commissioner for health Ummi Kalto -Ahmed on Wednesday said worldwide, the policy identifies the leading challenges of adolescents and young people.
Kalto -Ahmed, was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Aisha Abubakar- Sadiq.
”Optimising the strengths and prospects of Kaduna youthful population through investments in their health and development, will bring about economic and social benefits, a safer and more prosperous nation, and are a necessary condition for the state to realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 4.
”The state government aligns with the Federal government in duly recognising the potentials and importance of investing in the health and development of AYP and has given considerable attention and increasing priority to this important population group.
”Among others, the country acknowledges the need for an effective policy framework as an instrument of collective national aspirations and a guide for appropriate programmatic actions and interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of AYP,” she said.
The commissioner said the state understands the need for an effective Policy Framework as an instrument of collective aspirations and a guide for appropriate programmatic actions and interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of its AYP.
“This policy developed through a rigorous, evidence-based process harnessing expert knowledge from multi-stakeholder engagement designed to scale up youth health and development interventions.
“In Kaduna state, we have considered the peculiar needs of Adolescents and Young Persons (AYPs) as parents and added some components of Early Child Development, the modalities of which are to be expatiated at coordination and operational levels.
”The policy also provides an institutional framework for coordination, monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective implementation of its broad goal and objectives.
”This is with the understanding that accomplishing the objectives will require multi-sectoral collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations, Youth Serving Organizations; the Private Sector; Communities and the Academia.
“The state government is committed to all efforts directed at the realization of the AYP’s potentials in nation building.
In her remarks, Dr Salima Mohammed, the ministry’s gender focal person said the state in its commitment to ensure improvement in the health and wellbeing of adolescents, is domesticating the National Policy on Adolescent and AYP to provide a direction and guide in meeting the health needs of all categories of AYP.
She said the state has recognized the need of integration of some components of its Early Child Development policy, given its increasing effort to promote integration, for optimization of results.
According to her, Adolescence is a transitional phase of physical and psychological development between childhood and adulthood.
”It presents changes in the body, behavior and experiences and worldview. It comes with the very rapid somatic growth, brain development, sexual maturation, and attainment of reproductive capacity that occurs during the period results in physicalsexual, cognitive, socialand emotional challenges that bring anxiety for both children and their families.
”It is therefore a period that offers opportunity for consolidation of the earlier health investments in the childhood years such as Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD)and for laying the critical foundation for a healthy adulthood
Shesaid that investments in adolescent and young persons’ health and wellbeing brings a triple dividend of benefits in terms of the life cycle impact – benefits to adolescents in their current phase of life, and their future adult life, as well as benefits for the next generation of children who the adolescents would be parents to.
At community and societal levels, she said, investments in adolescent health are key to achieving population health and sustainable development.
She also said that more appropriate investments in AYP’s health and development have the potential to transform national economies, facilitate the achievement of demographic dividends and engender development
She thanked UNFPA, UNICEF Nigeria , Lafiya Project, Society for Family Health, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Population Reproductive Health Initiative, Centre for Integrated Health Programs, ANRIN, for their valuable support and commitment to ensuring the success of this policy document.
