A gathering of public and private sector change-makers have convened a unique platform to explore practical pathways to build a robust ecosystem integrating primary healthcare, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), education, and economic empowerment in Nigeria.
The exclusive cocktail event recognised that a successful adolescent health ecosystem requires integrating government and private-sector resources to build healthcare and education systems that serve youth effectively to meet current needs and scale sustainably for future generations.
Opening the evening, Professor Myriam Sidibe, founder and chief mission officer at Brands on a Mission, set the tone with a powerful call to action and highlighted the critical role the private sector can play in addressing societal challenges.
“Adolescents are at the heart of Nigeria’s future,” she asserted. “Mobilising resources and innovative solutions to meet their needs today will lay the groundwork for a healthier, more empowered generation.”
With Nigeria’s youth under 35 making up a remarkable 70% of the population, the evening’s discussions centred on how cross-sector collaboration and digital innovation can empower adolescent girls and boys to access the care, resources, and support they need to thrive.
Atef Fawaz, executive director of eHealth Africa, Nigeria, emphasised the critical importance of action:
“Investing in the health of Nigeria’s adolescent girls is not simply beneficial—it’s essential. With 43 percent married before 18 and a significant number becoming mothers during their teenage years, these young women face heightened health risks. If we prioritise their health, we empower them to make informed choices, ensuring a healthier future for themselves and the nation.”
Dr Karen Austrian, director of the GIRL Center at Population Council highlighted the specific disparities faced by adolescent girls, particularly across wealth quintiles.
“The challenge lies in the silos within the health, education, and youth sectors,” Dr. Austrian noted. “We have been successful in working with analog systems to work multi-dimensionally, and to reach the most marginalised. If we ask the similar critical questions in how to do that in the digital space, I believe we can successfully find scalable solutions. Nigeria is a great place to lead the charge.”
Dr Josephine Ojiambo, former Ambassador to UN emphasised the transformative potential of digital solutions, stating, “Digital health represents the future of health service delivery, offering transformative potential to bridge existing gaps in adolescent healthcare.”
Njide Ndili, country director PharmAccess continued.
“Few digital initiatives allow young people to meaningfully shape their health futures and co-design digital-first health systems that respond to their needs,” she said. “The Digital Transformations for Health Lab is collaborating with youth across 5 continents to design a digital first health system which addresses gaps in the current system, leveraging the fact that these young are growing up in a digital world. African youth have to be enfranchised as Digital Health Citizens ensuring they adopt digital health solutions to address their health needs.”
Serah Malaba, chief impact officer at Tiko, and Catherine Siebherhagen, Director of Implementation at Reach Digital Health, shared their innovative approaches, describing how they’ve successfully created digital tools and platforms to reach adolescents and young women, drive demand for services, and build meaningful connections.
The exclusive cocktail event and collaborative dialogue that was co-hosted by eHealth Africa and Brands on a Mission (BOAM) united leading voices from public health, the private sector, and advocacy, including Population Council, Reach Digital Health, Tiko, and Pharmaccess to reimagine adolescent health support systems for Nigeria’s young population.
