Girl Effect-Adolescent Girls Programming in Nigeria-Final Report

September 2015
Landscaping Study on Donor Programs and Government Policies in

the Adolescent Girls Field in Nigeria
By Gerald Ogoko
ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN

NIGERIA-Donor and Government
landscaping
ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping
Acknowledgements
This adolescent girls landscaping study was funded by Girl Effect Nigeria
Girl Effect
Girl Effects mission is to empower the 250 million adolescent girls living in poverty to
reach their full potential. Girls are a proven force for change and are the catalyst to
end global poverty its called the Girl Effect. Girl Effects work aims to shift the social
norms that hold girls back, and drive better investments that directly benefit girls. We
currently operate in Rwanda, Nigeria and Ethiopia. For more information, see:
girleffect.org.
For inquiries specific to Girl Effect Nigeria, please contact Country Director
ChiChi Okoye at chichi.okoye@girleffect.org
Opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
Girl Effects views, nor should they be viewed as modifying or updating any of GEs
existing policies.
Table of Contents
Acronyms.....
List of Figures & Tables..
Executive Summary...
Chapter One: Introduction..
1.1 Justification for the Study....
1.2 Research Questions.
1.3 Research Objectives..
Chapter Two: Methodology...
2.1 Target Respondents/Data Sources.......
2.2 Limitations & Challenges....
Chapter Three: Key Findings...
3.1 Key Policies Influencing Adolescent Girls Programming in Nigeria....
3.1.1 International Policies
3.1.2 Regional Policies
3.1.3 National Policies
3.2 Key Actors in the Adolescent Girls Space
3.2.1 Multilateral Donors
3.2.2 Bilateral Donors.
3.2.3 Foundations and Trusts
3.2.4 Embassies & High Commissions
3.2.5 Other Funding Mechanisms..
3.3 Key Government Actors.
3.4 Major Programs Being Implemented for Adolescent Girls in Nigeria
3.4.1 Education
3.4.2 Economic Empowerment..
3.4.3 Health..
3.4.4 Girls Voice.
3.4.5 Safety
3.5 Geographical Scope of Adolescent Girls Programs in Nigeria..
3.5.1 Coordination Mechanisms for Adolescent Girls Programs in Nigeria..
Chapter Four: Discussion..
4.1 Policy Context...
4.2 Key Actors and Institutions: Donors and Government......
4.3 Programming Context....
4.4 Geographical Coverage
4.5 Coordination and Collaboration.
Chapter Five: Conclusions and Key Recommendations...
5.1 Key Recommendations..
5.1.1 Enhancing the Climate for Greater and More Effective Programming...
5.1.2 Increasing Political Commitment to Improving Adolescent Girls Rights.
5.1.3 Explore Investment in Supply Side Programming.
5.1.4 Strengthening Institutional Systems for Governance & Coordination...
5.2
Projects/Programs having the most impact on adolescent girls
5.3
Conclusion..
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Acronyms
AFDB
AIDS
AU
AWDF
CAF
CCS
CDCS
CEDAW
CIDA
CLTC
COP
CPD
CPS
CSO
CSP
DFATD
DFID
DPGG
DPGH
EDF
EDP
EFA
ENABLE
ENGINE
EPNGW
ESSPIN
ETF
EU/EC
FBOs
FCT
FGM
FME
FMJ
FMOF
FMOH
FMWASD
FUG
GEN
GIZ
GMS
HIV
HPCC
African Development Bank

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
African Union
African Womens Development Fund
Country Assistance Framework
Country Cooperation Strategy
Country Development Country Strategy
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Canada International Development Agency
Citizenship & Leadership Training Center
Country Operations Plan
Country Program Document
Country Partnership Strategy
Civil Society Organization
Country Strategy Program
Department for Foreign Affairs, Trade & Development
UK Department for International Development
Development Partners Group on Gender
Development partners group on Health
European Development Fund
Entrepreneurship Development Program
Education for All
Enhancing Nigerian Advocacy for a Better Business Environment
Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises
Empowerment Program for Nigerian Girls & Women
Education Sector Support Program in Nigeria
Education Trust Fund
European Union/European Commission
Faith-Based Organizations
Federal Capital Territory
Female Genital Mutilation
Federal Ministry of Education
Federal Ministry of Justice
Federal Ministry of Finance
Federal Ministry of Health
Federal Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development
Fadama User Group
Girl Effect Nigeria
German International Development Agency
Gender Management System
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Health Partners Coordination Committee
IDPs
IMF
INGO
IOM
IP
ITAD
JICA
KII
KOICA
LGBT
MDA
MDGs
MNCH
NAP
NAPTIP
NBTE
NCFR
NCME
NCNE
NCWD
NDE
NEEDS
NEI
NEMA
NERDC
NERFUND
NGEI
NGO
NGP
NHRC
NPC
NPE
NPEC
NPF
NPEP
NSCGE
NSHDP
NSHIP
ODA
OSSAP
PATHS
PHC
PMTCT
SEPIP
Internally-Displaced Persons
International Monetary Fund
International Non-Governmental Organization
International Organization for Migration
Implementing Partners
Information Technology & Agricultural Development
Japan International Cooperation Agency
Key Informant Interviews
Korea International Cooperation Agency
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender
Ministries, Departments, and Agencies
Millennium Development Goal
Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
National Action Plan on Education
National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons
National Board of Technical Education
National Commission for Refugees
National Commission for Mass Literacy
National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE)
National Center for Women Development
National Directorate of Employment
National Economic Empowerment & Development Strategy
Northern Education Initiative
National Emergency Management Agency
Nigeria Educational Research & Development Council
National Economic Reconstruction Fund
Nigeria Girls Education Initiative
Non-Governmental Organization
National Gender Policy
National Human Rights Commission
National Planning Commission
National Policy on Education
National Primary Education Commission
Nigeria Police Force
Nigeria Partnership for Education Project
National Stakeholders Committee on Gender Equality
National Strategic Health Development Plan
Nigeria State Health Investment Project
Overseas Development Assistance
Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President
Partnership for Transforming Health Systems
Primary Healthcare
Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV
State Education Program Investment Project (SEPIP)
SGBV
SMEDAN
SSHDP
SSI
STI
TA
TIP
TVET
UBE
UBEC
UDHR
UN
UNCRC
UNDAF
UNDP
UNESCO
UNHCR
UNICEF
UNODC
UNPFA
USAID
V4C
WBG
WHO
Sexual & Gender-based Violence

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria
State Strategic Health Development Plan
Safe Schools Initiative
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Transformation Agenda
Trafficking in Persons
Technical & Vocational Education Training
Universal Basic Education
Universal Basic Education Commission
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
United Nations
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
United Nations Development Assistance Framework
United Nations Development Program
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations Childrens Fund
United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime
United Nations Fund for Population Activities
United States Agency for International Development
Voices for Change
World Bank Group
World Health Organization
List of Figures & Tables

FIGURES
Figure 1:
Figure 2:
Distribution of International Development Investments in Nigeria 2008-2017

Weighted Distribution of Donor Funding to Key Sectors in Nigeria 2012
TABLES
Table 1:
Table 2:
Table 3:
Table 4:
Table 5:
Profile of Development Assistance by Donors to Nigeria through the CAF

Categories of Key Actors in the Adolescent Girls Field in Nigeria
UNICEF Nigeria Country Program Components and Objectives (2014-2017)
Donor-funded education programs in Nigeria
Donor-funded health programs in Nigeria
Executive Summary
In June 2015, Girl Effect Nigeria commissioned a landscaping study to map donors
programs and government policies directly and indirectly impacting adolescent girls in
Nigeria. In addition to identifying these programs and policies across five key sectors
(education; economic empowerment; girls voice; health; and safety), this study
explored coordination mechanisms underscoring development interventions in the
adolescent girls space in Nigeria.
This study was conducted using both primary and secondary data. The primary data
mainly comprised of Key informant Interviews (KIIs) with representatives of donor
agencies, INGOs, government agencies, and implementing partners. The secondary
data, on the other hand, mainly consisted of information obtained from the following
documents: country partnership strategy documents, country operational plans, project
implementation status reports, project completion reports, CAF status reports etc.
Information from these documents helped in answering the key questions developed
for this study.
In the education sector, multilateral donors, bilateral donors, and international
foundations are active. Funding from these agencies is largely channelled through
international and local NGOs and CSOs. Key anchors for donors programs and projects
are positioned around the following areas: improving access to basic education; the
need for good quality education especially at the primary and secondary level;
primary school completion rates; reducing illiteracy, particularly in rural communities
and disadvantaged areas; safe school environments in conflict-prone areas (i.e. Safe
Schools Initiative); and improving teacher quality through continuing professional
development of teachers.
On the economic empowerment front, donors and government agencies have taken
steps to address the inequitable economic opportunities that women face. For
instance, DFIDs Enhancing Nigerian Advocacy for a Better Business Environment
(ENABLE II) project is focused on promoting a better business environment for the poor
by improving consultation and dialogue on business issues, especially at the rural level.
The main anchors for donors womens empowerment programs and projects are
positioned around the following areas: improving functional literacy among rural
women; organizing mentoring schemes for rural women; provision of basic ICT training;
life skills training; and entrepreneurial skills training. These initiatives are intended to
make rural women more productive members of society.
Development interventions in the Nigerian health sector are focused on the following
areas: sexual and reproductive health; child health; maternal and neo-natal health;
health systems strengthening; malaria; immunization; and HIV/AIDS, i.e. PMTCT.
Interventions in these areas directly and indirectly affect adolescent girls in Nigeria. Of
all the aforementioned program areas, sexual and reproductive health received the
most attention from donors. Sexual and reproductive health is at the core of global
health. If women and girls have access to the services and tools that support healthy
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pregnancies and protect against unintended pregnancy, HIV, and other sexuallytransmitted infections, the benefits in terms of healthy women, young women, young
people, children, and communities are staggering.
What is missing from gender-based health programs is improved access to SRH
education at the secondary school level. Ideally, integrating this into the curriculum of
secondary schools should help promote healthy sexual behaviours among adolescent
girls and also change perceptions about gender rights. The main barrier to achieving
this is cultural barriers especially in extremely conservative parts of Northern Nigeria.
Girls voice programs essentially create the enabling environment for gender equality in
Nigeria. Such programs are designed to change some of the more entrenched formal
and informal barriers that prevent girls and young women from actualizing their
potential. In the girls voice arena, a number of projects and programs are being
implemented by donor agencies and the government. One of the notable girls voice
programs being implemented in Nigeria is DFIDs Voices4Change program. This
program tackles the underlying causes of gender inequality by working towards the
following: improving the life and social skills of adolescent girls and women; developing
a community of people with improved knowledge and attitudes that challenge gender
discrimination; improving attitudes towards women among key influencers; and
achieving greater inclusion of gender issues in political and governance processes.
Through its Female Youth participation in Governance program, OXFAM is particularly
involved in empowering women politically. OXFAM believes that improved political
inclusion of women is central to empowering women economically. Political inclusion
gives women more say in determining their future and bridging the gender gap in
Nigeria. Compared to the other sectors mapped in this study, the girls voice sector
recorded the least program interventions in terms of scope and size over the past 5
years. This is because issues affecting adolescent girls are mainly addressed through the
lens of education and health.
Majority of interventions in the safety sector are centred on reducing or preventing
gender-based violence altogether. Violence against women appears to have reached
epidemic proportions in Nigeria. It comes in several forms such as, physical, emotional,
and mental. Common forms of violence against women in Nigeria are rape,
molestation, battering, and corporal punishment, among others. In view of this, there is
a growing need for advocacy in this area. The cultural environment in Nigeria does little
to discourage violence against women. There are a number of programs being
implemented in Nigeria to discourage violence against women. DFIDs Justice4All
program is one of such programs. This program encourages improved human rights
and access to justice for the poor and disadvantaged members of society, especially
women and children. Another program is UN Womens Orange Street Non-Violence
Against Women program, which creates awareness about violence against women
and protecting the rights of the girl child.
There are instruments available for Girl Effect Nigeria (GEN) to scale up its adolescent
girls program interventions. The Country Assistance Framework is one instrument as it is
the central donor coordination mechanism for Nigeria. One of the operating modalities
of the CAF is the donor working groups. Of particular importance to GEN is the
Development Partners Group on Gender (DPGG), i.e. membership of the DPGG is a
potential entry point for GEN into the CAF. The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and
Social Development (FMAWSD) is the government counterpart for the DPGG. GEN can
indicate an interest in becoming a member of this group by contacting either UNICEF
or UN Women especially as membership of the group is open to organizations actively
involved in adolescent girls programming. This group meets monthly to discuss ways of
addressing the raft of issues affecting adolescent girls in Nigeria.
In addition to the CAF, there is equally a need for GEN to develop a strategic
partnership with the FMAWSD. GEN can provide technical assistance support to the
FMAWSD in developing policies that address some of the challenges facing adolescent
girls in Nigeria. In the FMAWSD, the National Center for Women Development & Gender
Equality (NCWDGE) is the department that coordinates the government policies on
gender issues. Collaborating with the NCWDGE would give GEN added exposure to the
government plans related to gender-based issues.
Finally, there is considerable focus on demand side programing in Nigeria, which has
not come with commensurate focus on improving service delivery for girls. Investment in
the provision of exclusive services or at best strengthening the integration of services
focused on adolescent girls into existing delivery structures, which often are not
accessible to adolescent girls is required. Services could cover a range including
education, health, social protection, economic empowerment and rights; for instance
targeted scholarships, school counselling, community libraries, school based health
services, school and community protection services and legal aid, rehabilitation,
counselling-recreational facilities and skill development initiatives.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Results from the mapping exercise indicates that Nigeria has witnessed a proliferation of
programs in the adolescent girls space in recent times, stemming from a heightened
attention in the global arena. There are now various initiatives by several key actors
including government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), being
implemented across the country. However, there is limited reliable data on who is doing
what and where activities are focused. As a result, effectively negotiating or
contributing to the delivery of investments and programs in this complex space has
become increasingly laborious and challenging; leading to missed opportunities for
leveraging resources, streamlining processes and sharing experiences amongst key
actors. To provide an outlook of the topography of the adolescent girls space, Girls
Effect Nigeria (GEN) commissioned a study to profile the key donors and government
institutions which are active in the adolescent girls space, including their programs and
geographical focus areas. The study equally identifies the prevailing gaps and
opportunities in programing. The purpose of the study for GEN is to generate data with
which it can gauge its own program, and identify potential opportunities for improving
effectiveness and impact.
The information used for the study consisted of both primary and secondary data. The
primary data consisted of interviews with representatives of donor agencies,
government MDAs, and implementing agencies. In addition to the information
provided by these individuals, data for this study was collected from other sources, such
as, the Country Assistance Framework (CAF) status reports, project implementation
reports, project completion reports for completed projects and programs, strategic
plans, and mid-term project performance reviews. These perspectives were further
corroborated with information from literature review and web search.
Whilst this report neither represents a comprehensive assessment on the status of
adolescent girls programing in Nigeria, nor an evaluation of donor or government
policies and programs; it highlights some important challenges which hamper effective
programing in the adolescent girls space in Nigeria. This report is organized as follows:
Chapter 2 outlines the methodology for the study; Chapter 3 presents the key findings
of the study with respect to the five key sectors explored namely: education; economic
empowerment; girls voice; health; and safety. Chapter 4 discusses the studys key
findings including challenges and lessons from implementing programs and projects in
adolescent girls space; Chapter 5 contains the conclusions and recommendations for
the study. The recommendations suggest areas of future engagement for Girl Effect
Nigeria.
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1.1 Justification for the Study

Without opportunities, adolescent girls are more vulnerable to becoming disillusioned,
which can contribute to risky behavior and exploitation. Despite this, adolescent girls
present an opportunity especially as it concerns more inclusive national development.
Given the advantages of working with adolescent girls, they are a strategic population
to include in development programming.
This exploratory study is intended to fill a critical gap in evidence about the potential for
enhancing livelihood programs for adolescent girls in Nigeria. This groundbreaking study
represents the first comprehensive mapping of adolescent girls programs in Nigeria.
Although Nigeria has one of the fastest growing youth populations in the world, its
gender disparities pose significant barriers for the future of girls. Adolescent girls (10-19
years) constitute about 15.5% of Nigerias population1. Consequently, there is a need to
map the landscape of adolescent girls programming in Nigeria so as to identify priority
areas of intervention whilst reducing duplication of efforts intended to address the
peculiar circumstances of adolescent girls.
1.2 Research Questions

The five key questions developed for this landscaping study are as follows:
1. Which key policies influence programing in the adolescent girls space in
Nigeria?
2. Who are the key actors in the Adolescent girls space in the country?
3. What are the major programs being implemented for adolescent girls in Nigeria?
4. Where are programs being implemented?
5. How are efforts coordinated in the adolescent girls program field?
1.3 Research Objectives

The study was structured to fulfill the following objectives:
1. To identify the key policies influencing programming in the adolescent girls
space in Nigeria.
2. To identify the key actors in the adolescent girls space in Nigeria.
3. To identify the major programs being implemented for adolescent girls in Nigeria.
4. To geographically map existing adolescent girls programs in Nigeria.
5. To critically examine how efforts are coordinated in the adolescent girls
program field.
National Bureau of Statistics (2012) Demographic health survey. Accessed from: http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng
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Chapter 2: Methodology
This is an exploratory study that used the qualitative approach to investigate the
adolescent girls space in Nigeria. A critical component of this study concerned
mapping existing adolescent girls programs across the six geopolitical regions of
Nigeria. The descriptive research design was used to address this particular component.
The study combined primary and secondary research including a comprehensive
literature review on adolescent girls policies and programs, as well as existing published
reports, donor program documents, country cooperation strategies and plans, and
government policies and strategic frameworks in the last five years.
The primary data used in this study mainly consisted of Key Informant Interviews (KII)
undertaken with some experts working in the adolescent girls field within INGOs, private
research organizations, international foundations, bilateral and multilateral
organizations, and selected government institutions around the country. Additional
information was sourced through web search.
2.1 Target Respondents/Data Sources

In order to successfully map the landscape for adolescent girls programs in Nigeria,
careful attention was devoted to identifying the sample for this study. KIIs were used to
collect the raw data for this study. The interviews offered useful insights into the design
and implementation of adolescent girls programs in Nigeria. Respondents responses
also highlighted challenges and opportunities for meaningful engagement in the
adolescent girls space in Nigeria. The sample for the KIIs consisted of the following
respondents: representatives of development agencies; representatives of government
MDAs; focal points in implementing agencies of donor programs; and experts actively
involved in adolescent girls programming in Nigeria. Some of these interviews were
conducted over the telephone while others were carried out in person.
In addition to the primary data, secondary data was equally used to conduct this
study. The secondary data mainly consisted of the following project-related
documentation: project reports; project progress/performance reports; project
appraisal documents; project implementation manuals; aide memoirs; project
completion reports; and information sourced from websites created for existing
projects/programs. Together with the interviews, information sourced from these
documents provided a holistic perspective on the landscape for adolescent girls
programs in Nigeria.
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2.2 Limitations and Challenges

A number of limitations were encountered, including the unavailability of
comprehensive, reliable and updated data on adolescent girls programing.
Additionally, it was difficult to schedule interviews with certain key informants in the key
donor and government agencies, owing to other competing priorities, coupled with the
constraint of the limited time allotted for the study. Each of these factors created
certain constraints to a more comprehensive and representative analysis. The study
team overcame this challenge by following up with individual telephone sessions and
accessed program-related documentation.
To address any perceived gaps from the interviews, relevant information from
project/program-related documentation and other policy documents were used.
Information sourced from these documents offered useful insights into the underlying
challenges, opportunities and best practices in implementing adolescent girls
programs in Nigeria. Furthermore, where corroborating data could not be obtained,
assumptions were made on the basis of the program or policy description.
The study team recognizes that gaps do remain in this study, resulting from some of the
challenges earlier identified, which were largely beyond our control. The key findings,
discussion and recommendations are present in subsequent chapters.
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Chapter 3: Key Findings

3.1 Key Policies Influencing Adolescent Girls Programming in Nigeria
Increasingly seen as a critical human rights imperative, the adolescent girls program
space benefits from a plethora of international and regional human rights conventions,
treaties and protocols. Nigeria has acceded to a number of these instruments, which
have profoundly influenced how government and donors invest and interact in this
arena. The most influential policy instruments can be categorized into three major
groups: International, Regional and National.
3.1.1 International Policies
A number of international human rights treaties and other instruments adopted since
the end of the Second World War have conferred legal form on inherent human rights
and developed the body of international human rights. While international treaties and
conventions form the backbone of international human rights law, other instruments,
such as declarations, guidelines and principles adopted at the international level
contribute to its understanding, implementation and development. Respect for human
rights requires the establishment of the rule of law at the national and international
levels.
International human rights law lays down obligations which States are bound to
respect. By becoming parties to international treaties, States assume obligations and
duties under international law to respect, to protect and to fulfill human rights. The
obligation to respect means that States must refrain from interfering with or curtailing
the enjoyment of human rights. The obligation to protect requires States to protect
individuals and groups especially vulnerable groups- against human rights abuses. The
obligation to fulfill means that States must take positive action to facilitate the
enjoyment of fundamental human rights. Through the ratification of international
human rights treaties, Governments undertake to put into place domestic measures
and legislation compatible with their treaty obligations and duties. Where domestic
legal proceedings fail to address human rights abuses, mechanisms and procedures for
individual complaints are available at the regional and international levels to help
ensure that international human rights standards are indeed respected, implemented,
and enforced at the local level. Some of the key international policy frameworks
protecting human rights especially with respect to the rights of the girl child- are
identified below.
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):

The overarching and perhaps the most important international policy is the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948. This policy instrument obligates
all nations to protect and promote ALL fundamental human rights without bias to sex,
social class or religious orientation. This declaration is the result of the experience of the
Second World War. Under the UDHR, world leaders decided to complement the UN
Charter with a roadmap to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere.
The United Nations Convention on the rights of the Child (UNCRC):
The UNCRC was adopted by member nations of the United Nations in 1989. It is a
human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and
cultural rights of children. The Convention defines a child as any human being under
the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under a states own
domestic legislation. Nations that ratify this convention including Nigeria- are bound to
it by international law.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW):
CEDAW was adopted by member nations of the United Nations in 1981. This Convention
takes a critical place in bringing the female half of humanity into the focus of human
rights concerns. The spirit of the Convention is rooted in the goals of the United Nations:
to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human
being, in the equal rights of men and women. Again, it gives positive affirmation to the
principle of quality by requiring States parties to take all appropriate measures,
including legislation, to ensure the full development and advancement of women, for
the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men.
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women:
This declaration affirms that violence against women constitutes a violation of the rights
and fundamental freedoms of women and affairs or nullifies their enjoyment of those
rights and freedoms, and concerned about the long-standing failure to protect and
promote those rights and freedoms in the case of violence against women. The
declaration is an instrument for promoting gender equality in UN member nations.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs):
The eight MDGs which range from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread
of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015form a blueprint agreed to by all the worlds leading development institutions. MDG 3
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indicators track key elements of womens social, economic and political participation
and guide the building of gender-equitable societies. Empowerment of women,
including access to health information and control of resources such as money, is
critical for achieving gender equality and health equity.
3.1.2 Regional Policies
On the African regional level, adolescent girls programming in Nigeria is also shaped
by instruments, such as, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (the
Childrens Charter), the African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, the
2000 Dakar Declaration on Education for All (EFA), the Solemn Declaration on Gender
Equality in Africa, and the African Youth Charter.
The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child:
This charter protects every child from discrimination. The Charter equally mandates
African nations to take into consideration the best interest of the child in all actions,
especially during administrative and judicial proceedings. Again, under this Charter,
every child who is capable of communicating his or her own views shall be assured the
rights to express his opinions freely in all matters and to disseminate his opinions subject
to such restrictions as are prescribed by laws.
The African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa:
Presently, 36 African countries including Nigeria- have signed and ratified this policy
instrument. Article 2 of this instrument mandates states to combat all forms of
discrimination against women through appropriate legislative, institutional and other
measures. States are to include in their constitutions and other legislative instruments the
principle of equality between women and men and ensure its effective application.
Article 12 mandates State parties to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women
and guarantee equal opportunity and access in the sphere of education and training.
Article 14 mandates State parties to ensure that the right to health of women, including
sexual and reproductive health is respected and promoted. This includes: the right to
control their fertility; the right to choose any method of contraception; and the right to
be protected against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
The Dakar Declaration on Education for All (EFA):
This declaration was made at the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar. The Education
for All Movement is a global commitment to provide quality basic education for all
children, youth and adults. 164 countries including Nigeria- pledged to achieve the
following EFA goals by the end of 2015: (1) expanding and improving comprehensive
early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and
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disadvantaged children; (2) ensuring that by 2015, all children particularly girls- have
access to, and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality; (3)
ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through
equitable access to proper learning and life-skills programs; and (4) eliminating gender
disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality
in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls full and equal access to and
achievement in basic education of good quality.
The Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa:
The Declaration is an important African instrument for promoting gender equality and
womens empowerment as it strengthens African ownership of the gender quality
agenda and keeps the issues alive at the highest political level in Africa. To date,
Nigeria has not yet submitted its progress report on measures taken at the national level
to achieve the requirements of the gender equality agenda.
The African Youth Charter:
The African Youth Charter protects the rights and freedoms of young people in the AU
member States. Article 4 mandates AU member States to protect the right of every
young person with regard to freedom of expression. Article 6 protects the right of every
young person to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
3.1.3 National Policies
Most of the national policies and domestic legislations applied in the Adolescent girls
space in Nigeria have benefited either from the translation or outright domestication of
some of these international and regional instruments. Notable examples include the
National Gender policy which is a translation of the Solemn Declaration on Gender
Equality in Africa; and the Child Rights Act promulgated in 2003, is an attempt to
localize the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In 2014, the National Assembly
passed a Violence Against Persons Bill. This bill recommends stiffer punishments for
sexual violence and also provides support and measures, such as, restraining order to
prevent the continuation of abuse. These policy frameworks continue to provide the
bedrock for structuring vital development assistance into the adolescent girls space in
the country.
3.2 Key Actors in the Adolescent Girls Space in Nigeria

In the last decade, Nigeria witnessed a considerable turnover of new important donor
funded initiatives for instance Let Girls Learn by the United States Government, the
Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) by a coalition of international partners and the Nigerian
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government, and the Girls Education Challenge, Girls Education Project, and
Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE) respectively by the UK
government. There are three major donor categories Multilateral, Bilateral,
Foundations and Trusts (Table 2)- that provide development assistance in the
adolescent girls program arena. The majority of donor assistance is inclined towards
funding for development programs, majority of which are implemented through
implementing agencies. Donor assistance also comes in the form of technical
assistance to government MDAs and local implementing organizations. Although the
major donors each have individual country cooperation agreements with the Nigerian
government consummated through the National Planning Commission (NPC), they all
align their country program priorities with the Nigerian government priorities elaborated
in a joint framework of actionthe Country Assistance Framework (CAF), developed
by the donor community, led by the World Bank, with the Nigerian Government. CAF is
also the accountability framework for monitoring the status of donor commitments.
There has also been an increased number of government Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) implementing actions which impact on adolescent girls.
Governments agenda for the advancement of adolescent girls development sits
within the vision for the transformation of Nigeria anchored in the Nigeria Vision 20:2020
and its medium-term implementation strategy-The Transformation Agenda (TA: 20112015). In the adolescent field, and for girls in particular, this agenda is championed (at
least in principle)by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (FMWASD)
as government policy views adolescents as part of its children program (individuals
below 18 years of age)2. Other collaborating MDAs in the adolescent girls space
include the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Federal Ministry of Education (FME) and
the Federal Ministry of Youth (individuals from 18-35 years). It also includes initiatives by
some parastatals under the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Trade and the Presidency.
According to the World Bank report on development assistances provided to Nigeria,
through the Country Assistance Framework as at 2012- (which by the way is the most
recent and organized data available); there are about 9 major donor agencies (4
Multilateral and 5 Bilateral) who provide the majority of the international development
assistance to the country through CAF. These agencies support key sectors including
Agriculture, Water & Sanitation, Governance, Private sector development, Environment
(including Climate Change), Infrastructure and Human DevelopmentEducation,
Health and Social Protection (Table 1). Amongst the CAF contributors, the multilateral
agencies as a group contribute over 65% of the total development assistance to the
country. The World Bank leads this group, contributing over 40 percent of the total
2
Nigeria-Second National Youth Policy; 2009
18
international development assistance; with the African Development Bank (AfDB), in a

distant second with a contribution of just over 17 percent3Figure 1.
The three leading bilateral donors include DFID which provides approximately 12.38
percent of the total development assistance to the country, the EU/EC (8.32%) and
USAID (7.94%). This ranking varies when measured by the absolute contribution
according to sector. For instance, although DFID contributes the highest investments
overall in the bilateral group, USAID contributes more in absolute terms to Human
development-health education and social protection sector programs ($839 billion)
than DFID ($811 billion). Also, the EU makes huge investments in the Water and
Sanitation sector ($409 billion), compared to the relatively meagre investments from
DFID ($39.5 billion) and USAID ($3.9 billion).The four sectors which received the greatest
donor assistance, as measured by the level of funding includes Infrastructure, Human
Development, Governance and Water and Sanitation (Figure 1); but when this is
disaggregated into sub-components, the health sector received the highest
investments overall (19%), closely followed by transport (15%), water and sanitation and
governance (14%) and agriculture (11%)Figure 2. Education trailed behind, amongst
the sectors with the lowest donor investment (5%). All the major foundations are
American including Ford Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Macarthur
Foundation. At present, Bill and Mellinda Grants portfolio in Nigeria is an estimated
US$150mn. For the Ford Foundation, majority of its grants in West Africa about 75%
annually- supports Projects in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and the
economic engine of the region. Grants to Nigeria are focused on the following key
issues: democratic and accountable government; economic fairness; freedom of
expression; and gender, sexuality and reproductive justice. The Macarthur Foundations
grants to Nigeria address the following concerns: population and reproductive health;
human rights; and girls secondary education. It currently operates a US$1mn fund that
addresses the issue of maternal health in Northern Nigeria. A brief profile of the key
donors, according to their categories, is presented below:
Majority of the World Bank and AFDBs development assistance to Nigeria consists of loans. Grants by both
agencies are facilitated through targeted technical assistance to MDAs.
19
Table 1: Profile of Development Assistance by Donors to Nigeria through CAF
Human development consists of the following subsectors: education, health and social protection.
20
Figure 1: Distribution of International Development Investments in Nigeria 2008-2017
35
Categories of development investments across sectors in Nigeria 2012

($'000m)
30
Infrastructure
25
Human
development
Governance
20
WATSAN
15
Agriculture
10
5
0
Sectors
Figure 2: Weighted Distribution of Donor Funding to Key Development Sectors in Nigeria 2012
Ranking of donor investments in Nigeria by key sectors 2012
($'000m)
Health
Transport
Governance
WATSAN
Agriculture
Energy/ power
20
18
16
14
12
Education
Private
Environment
10
8
6
4
2
0
Sectors
21
Table 2: Categories of Key Actors in the Adolescent Girls Field in Nigeria.

Multilateral
Bilateral
Foundations/Trusts
Government
UNICEF,
USAID
FORD
UNFPA
EU
MACARTHUR
Federal Ministry of Women

& Social Development
Federal Ministry of Health
UNDP
DFID
CLINTON
Federal Ministry of
Education
UNESCO,
AFD
Childrens Investment
Fund Foundation
Federal Ministry of
Finance
WHO
JICA
Bill & Melinda Gates
WORLD BANK,
AFDB
AFDB,
CIDA/DFATD
UNFPA,
AusAID
EU/EC,
CEF,
MDGs,
UNWOMEN
UNHCR
GLOBAL FUND
UNAIDS
3.2.1 MULTILATERAL DONORS

Multilateral organizations play a remarkable role in the adolescent girls field in the
country. Their efforts in this regard, converge primarily around supporting Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to achieve progress in the
attainment of regional and global objectives in the Adolescent girls field. A large part
of this support is focused on advocacy, provision of technical support and direct
funding for programs usually aligned to governments prevailing priorities. Some
multilaterals also provide support through local implementing agencies including
international Implementing Partners (IPs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). There
are only a few key multilateral agencies actively involved in the adolescent girls field in
the country and their current strategic thrusts are discussed below.
The UN System
The U.N. system comprises a number of agencies, working within the harmonized UN
development frameworkUNDAF III, and a number of prominent UN international
conventions and declarations specific or related to adolescent girls. Over the last
decade, the UN system has made significant efforts to strengthen the approaches of its
different agencies in this arena. The major UN agencies whose efforts directly impact on
adolescent girls in Nigeria include the following:
22
UNICEF
UNICEF has a primary mandate to advocate for the protection and promotion of
childrens rights and development; however, in practice its mandate covers the whole
spectrum of child development, from early childhood through adolescence (the
second decade of life). UNICEF contributes to the national adolescent girls agenda
through direct systems strengthening support (policy advocacy, high-quality technical
and material assistance); to MDAs at national and subnational levels and through
expanded partnerships with other multilateral and bilateral agencies; for instance it is
involved in the United Nations Health 4+ initiative, alongside WHO, UNFPA, the World
Bank and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Another major
support strategy for UNICEF involves providing development assistance through IPs and
CSOs and their Networks. UNICEF has a historical track record in the gender equality
and girls rights arena, including its strategic role in supporting the establishment of the
Nigeria Girls Education Initiative (NGEI) in 2005, which was an adoption of the United
Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) launched in April 2000 at the World Education
Forum in Dakar.
In the current UNICEF Country Strategy Programme for Nigeria-CSP (2014-2017), which
aligns to the Vision 20:2020 and other relevant National Sectoral Policies and Plans
including the National Strategic Health Development Plan 2010-2015, National HIV/AIDS
Strategic Plan 2010-2015, National Strategic Plan for the Education Sector (2012-2016)
and the National Priority Agenda for Vulnerable Children 2013-2020, it commits to
spending over $500 million towards achieving five strategic objectives5, which impact
mostly on women and children including adolescent girlsat least in principle, going by
the internationally accepted classification of adolescents under the CRC (Table 3). As
there are no exclusive outcome areas for adolescent girls mentioned explicitly in the
outcome area of the plan, it is difficult to quantify the degree of UNICEFs impacts
directly on the Nigerian adolescent girl. Adolescent girls outcomes appear to be
tangled in those for women and children, a situation which makes it difficult to track
and monitor the volume or value of resources and programs exclusively targeted on
adolescent girls.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Program Components and Objectives (2014-2017)
23
Table 3: UNICEF Nigeria Country Program Components and Objectives (2014-2017)

S/N
1
Program Component
Child survival
Quality basic education
Child protection
Social policy, analysis, research and communication
Emergency and disaster risk reduction
Strategic Objectives
Improved access to and use of high-quality and highimpact health, WASH and nutrition interventions by
children and women
Improved access to quality basic education by the
most vulnerable boys and girls, and increased school
retention, completion and achievement rates for all
Establishment of a national child protection system that
effectively prevents and responds to violence,
exploitation, abuse, neglect, stigma and discrimination,
and ensures the rights of vulnerable children
Development of a comprehensive nationwide childsensitive social protection framework and equitysensitive policies, programs and budget allocations,
based on high-quality evidence and strengthened
oversight, particularly at local levels
Strengthened state and community preparedness and
response to natural and human-induced emergencies,
with a focus on children and women
One of UNICEFs successful interventions is in the education sector is the Girls

Education Project (GEP). This project is being implemented in Northern Nigeria;
specifically in the following states: Bauchi, Katsina, Borno, Jigawa, Niger, and Sokoto.
The development objective of this particular project is to improve girls access to
education in Northern Nigeria. This particular project seeks to raise awareness about the
importance of empowering adolescent girls through education. Among the key
achievements registered from implementing this project is the creation of girl-friendly
school environments in rural and urban schools in the target states. In addition,
implementing this project has improved the enrolment rates of adolescent girls in the
target states although progress has been halted by the insurgency in the North. In
accordance with GENs theory of change, it can partner with UNICEF to provide
technical support especially in the area of advocacy. Increased advocacy is needed
to transform poor attitudes to girl-child education in rural areas.
UNICEF is also active in the education sector through its health and nutrition program
II. This program is being implemented nationwide and seeks to reduce child mortality
by improving existing M&NH services in primary healthcare centers. Based on the
national average, the North has the highest child and maternal mortality rate in Nigeria.
In view of this, GEN can key into the health and nutrition program by providing
technical assistance, especially in the areas of improving public service delivery and
the training of healthcare workers in primary healthcare facilities in rural areas. The
success of the health and nutrition program II is predicated on its integration of M&NH
services as part of the ante-natal process. This approach supports a holistic approach
24
to addressing the problem of child mortality in the North. Some previous health and
nutrition programs treated M&NH services separately from the ante-natal process.
UNESCO
UNESCO works through the country cooperation mechanism and expanded
partnership framework of the UN system and so, its efforts contributes to the strategic
outcomes of UNDAF III. Its mandate mainly covers education and cultural development
in Nigeria, under which it has traditionally supported the countrys literacy programme,
including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), as well as science
and technology. The current CSP of UNESCO 2014-2017, could not be readily sourced
during this study. However, as evident from a critical analysis of the immediate past
Nigeria-UNESCO CSP (2012-2013), its programs (some extending up to 2017) remain
consistent in the themes of Education, Science, Culture and Communication. Up on till
2017, it has developed a framework for priority actions in a wide range of areas,
including literacy and girls education, TVET and mobile learning, cultural heritage and
the diversity, conflict prevention and anti-terrorism through education and dialogue6.
There are no exclusive program strategies or outcomes for adolescent girls in the CSP;
however, the description of the program components on Education and Science,
somewhat infers certain objectives for promoting girls education at the post basic level
and in Higher education.
One of the ways of addressing the challenges facing adolescent girls in Nigeria is by
improving gender empowerment, especially economic empowerment. Improved
gender empowerment leads to better choices and makes the womenfolk more
productive members of society. The issue of gender inequality is directly linked to many
of the socio-economic challenges that Nigerian adolescent girls are confronted with.
UNESCO addresses gender disparities in Nigeria through the sponsorship of literacy
programs targeted at women in rural areas. Through its Empowerment Program for
Nigerian Girls and Women, UNESCO is empowering 60,000 Nigerian girls in literacy and
skills development program through ICT. What makes this program unique is that it
promotes greater inclusiveness of women in an economy that is rapidly being
transformed through ICT. This program is being implemented in partnership with Procter
& Gamble and the Federal Ministry of ICT. Total financial commitment for this particular
program is US$4mn.
The problem with some previous women empowerment schemes especially those
being implemented by the government- is that they are driven more by a political
6
Nigeria-UNESCO Country Programming Document 2012-2013
25
agenda than the interest of the target beneficiaries. Consequently, more emphasis was
placed on cash hand-outs and lopsided training schemes that failed to produce the
desired change. Again, schemes implemented in this manner failed to take
cognizance of the growing role of ICT in business and daily living. UNESCOs
Empowerment Program for Nigerian Girls and Women is different in that more
emphasis is placed on improving the literacy levels of rural women together with
empowering them with basic ICT skills. By so doing, rural women are less likely to be left
behind in a rapidly globalized environment. So far, about 5,000 women have been
trained under this program and according to a UNESCO representative interviewed for
this study, feedback suggests that the program has been a success. Among the
benefits recorded from this program are as follows: some of the trainees have secured
paid employment; improved market access for women in the informal sector; an
improvement in the capacity of informal sector women to shift to the formal sector; and
a marked change in traditional gender roles. In view of the successes recorded by this
particular program, GEN can achieve desired change in gender empowerment by
implementing empowerment programs that adopt a two-pronged approach namely:
basic literacy skills (i.e. reading, writing, numeracy) and basic ICT training. The ICT
component of such a program is intended to ensure that rural women are not left
behind in the face of rapid globalization and interconnectedness.
UNDP
Historically, UNDP has been profoundly effective in providing upstream support for
policy and institutional reforms in the country. In the last decade, UNDP has been active
supporting advocacy for political and economic reforms, good governance, human
rights and gender inclusion, partnership-building, aid coordination and capacity
development. Its current CSP for Nigeria (2014-2017), commits to three key areas
(aligned to Vision 20 20:20 and UNDAF III), including good governance; equitable and
sustainable economic growth; and human security and risk management7. Specific
strategies and outcome areas exclusively for adolescent girls is inconspicuous in the
CSP document; although outcome areas for women and youth are mentioned
somewhat within the program framework. UNDP Nigeria is renowned for supporting
initiatives which promote women participation in governance and advocate against
gender based violence. Consequently it can be the focus for concerted lobbying to
rally support for programs which promote adolescent girls voice, power and
participation even in the field of governance and justice.
Nigeria, Country Programme Document 2014-2017; UNDP Nigeria
26
UNFPA
UNFPA is a critical actor in the global arena for advocating for adolescent girls issues. In
Nigeria, UNFPA works with national and sub-national governments (MDAs) and civil
society organizations (CSOs) to improve the quality of life of people, particularly
women, adolescents and youths. It supports initiatives that focus on improving data for
reproductive health development, promoting access to reproductive health and rights,
and enhancing gender equality. In July 2013, it launched its 7th Country Program
Document for Nigeria 2014-2017 (CPD) and consistent with the practice of other UN
agencies, the 7th CPD aligns with the Nigeria Vision 20: 2020 and the Transformation
Agenda, at the same time contributing to three strategic result areas of the United
Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), 2014-2017.
In the current Nigeria CPD, UNFPA has obligated $75 million, to implement actions in
three core areas namely: the achievement of universal access to sexual and
reproductive health; the promotion of reproductive rights and the reduction of
maternal mortality; and program interventions targeted at underserved populations,
especially women and young people, with adolescent sexual and reproductive health
running as a cross-cutting theme8. In particular, Nigeria is one of the beneficiaries of a
12 country initiative by UNFPAAction for Adolescent Girls9, under this current CPDfocused on ending child marriage and reducing adolescent pregnancy. The goal of
the initiative is to protect adolescent girls rights by delaying age at marriage and
childbearing, empowering adolescent girls, and elevating their status in communities.
UNFPA programs that have a direct impact of adolescent girls are largely focused on
the health sector, particularly sexual and reproductive health. A key health program
being implemented in this regards is the adolescent sexual and reproductive health
program. This program is being implemented in Northern Nigeria with an aggregate
financial commitment of US$1mn. One of the key intervention areas of this program is
advocacy and policy dialogue at the federal and state levels to drive changes in
policy and decision-making and programming processes to advance the health and
development needs of young people. Among the challenges recorded in the
implementation of this program are as follows: reluctance of young people to access
ASRH services and counseling; limited staff capacity in the area of counseling; cultural
constraints that make sexual education a taboo, especially in the North; and little or no
link between sexual education and school-based curriculum. One of the ways that this
Nigeria-UNFPA 7th Country Programme Document (2014-2017); July 2013

UNFPA: Action for Adolescent Girls-building the health, social and economic assets of adolescent girls, especially those at risk of
child marriage; program document- July 2014
9
27
program has bridged these constraints is through the use of interactive mediacomputer technologies- to promote healthy behaviour among adolescents. This
approach has worked because it leverages on the tech and social media enthusiasm
of young people to enhance reachability in the delivery of messages. Another
approach that has made this program a success is its emphasis on training some
teachers in selected schools on sexual counseling for young people. This addresses the
inability or reluctance of young people to access SRH services in health facilities as they
are more willing to open up to their teachers as opposed to a stranger in a health
facility. Efforts are currently ongoing to integrate sexual and reproductive health
education into the education curriculum for secondary schools.
Based on lessons learnt from UNFPAs adolescent sexual and reproductive health
program, there are opportunities for GEN to bring about desired behavioural change
among adolescent girls. For instance, GEN can utilize social media as a tool to educate
young people on healthy sexual behaviours.10 Although integrating sexual education
into the secondary school education faces intense cultural resistance, especially in the
North, there is still room for GEN to fund a counseling initiative targeted at secondary
schools in the region. This can occur through either of two ways: training of teachers in
select secondary schools or providing trained counselors to deliver sexual education to
some secondary schools over a defined period.
UNAIDS
UNAIDS brings together the diverse resources-expertise, experience, and mandate- of
its 11 co-sponsors for a coordinated multisectoral response to AIDS in countries around
the world. It aligns its efforts with government, other international partners, and civil
society to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support as
well as to halt and reverse the spread of HIV. Its efforts also contribute significantly to
the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals11. In Nigeria, UNAIDS is
profoundly committed to the elimination of new HIV infections among women and
children. In its country collaborative strategy for Nigeria 2014-2017, UNAIDS has
committed to three key strategic options namely: revolutionizing HIV prevention politics,
policies and practices; catalyzing treatment, care and support through improved
access to more affordable and more effective drug regimens; and improving
treatment delivery systems through improved link between antiretroviral therapy
services and primary health, maternal and child health, tuberculosis, and sexual and
reproductive health services. Furthermore, it has committed to advancing human rights
and gender equality in the HIV response, by particularly focusing on the realization and
10
11
Consultants can be paid to create content for the social media platform.
2014 Progress Report on The Global Plan; Nigeria Country report, UNAIDS
28
protection of HIV-related human rights, including the rights of women and girls;
addressing gender inequality and elimination of violence against women and girls12.
The strategy narrative speaks significantly to issues referenced to adolescent girls,
however, the articulation of absolute and concrete strategies and outcome areas in
the strategic plan is tangled within its concentration on women and youth.
UNHCR
UNHCR Nigerias focus is inclined towards providing protection and assistance to
asylum seekers and refugees both camp based and urban population, including
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). It works within the West African Regional Refugee
Response Plan developed to mobilize an inter-agency response to the refugee situation
developing in parts of Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The overall strategy for its response
amongst others; is centered on promoting and protecting the rights to legal, physical
and social protection of all refugees in the country and within the region13. To fulfill its
mandate, UNHCR Nigeria collaborates with Government institutions dealing with
refugee and returnee matters including National Commission for Refugees (NCFR),
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Office of the Special Assistant
to the President on Migration and Humanitarian Affairs; as well as other multilateral and
bilateral partners such as IOM.
The current CSP of UNHCR could not be accessed at the time of this study. Therefore,
an elaborate analysis of its program positioning specific to adolescent girls was not
possible. However, a critical look at the historical activities of the organization, including
an examination of its last available Country Operations Plan (COP) developed in 2006,
shows that UNHCR engages with adolescent girls, recognizing that adolescents
constitute perhaps one of the critical casualties of emergencies and conflicts. In at
least one of the six priority strategies in the 2006 COP-Promoting community
development through gender and age balance and participation; UNHCR outlined its
commitment towards eradication of SGBV in refugee and returnee settlements and
mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in the design and implementation of all projects; including the
promotion of gender balanced participation and decision making in all
refugee/returnee settlements and particularly the promotion of child rights and equal
opportunities for boys and girls14. Nonetheless, no specific strategies or outcome areas
were noted in that plan for the adolescent girls field.
12
Getting to zero: 2011-2015 strategy Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
Nigeria Regional Refugee Response Plan, UNHCR-September 2014
14
UNHCR Nigeria Country Operations Plan; 2006
13
29
Feedback from interviews with some UNHCR representatives indicates that at present,
majority of its programs are aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis stemming from
the violent insurgency in the North East. Most of its programs are largely implemented in
collaboration with NEMA. These programs includes the following activities: provision of
water and sanitation facilities in Internally-displaced persons (IDP) camps; reconnecting
families displaced by the conflict; creating records of inflows and outflows out of
designated IDP camps; and provision of shelter and food items.
In interventions aimed at addressing the needs of those displaced by the armed
conflict in the North East, one area that has received limited attention is the education
and protection of children. What is clear is that children and women are the most
vulnerable and are exposed to abuse even in IDP camps. There are documented cases
of rape and child abuse in these IDP camps; all stemming from the lack of proper
management administration of these facilities or sites. In response to this problem,
UNICEF created the Child Protection Program. This main objective of this program is
the establishment of measures aimed at protecting women and children in these
camps. In terms of geographical scope, this program covers IDP camps in North East
and North Central Nigeria. One of the ways that this program seeks to achieve its
development objective is by mapping IDP camps together with maintaining a
database of people in designated and undesignated IDP camps. Another approach
used to prevent the abuse of women and children in IDP camps is by collaborating with
NEMA, UNOCHA, UNHCR, and security agencies to improve the security architecture in
IDP camps. Although these initiatives are laudable, the education of children displaced
by the conflict has received limited attention. Children in most IDP camps receive little
or no education. Some local NGOs have tried to address this problem by paying
teachers to teach children in some IDP camps however, limited funding hampers the
sustainability of this initiative. GEN can enhance the sustainability of this initiative by
providing technical support and funding to these local NGOs.
UN WOMEN
the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UNWomen) functions primarily to assist countries and the United Nations system in
progressing more effectively and efficiently towards achieving gender equality and
womens empowerment and upholding womens rights15. In Nigeria, UN Women
operates both upstream and downstream in the gender equality and women
empowerment field. It efforts are geared towards leading, coordinating and promoting
policies and programs in four key result areas including expanding Womens Voice,
15
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women strategic plan, 2014-2017: September 2013
30
Leadership and Participation; Womens Economic Empowerment; preventing Violence

against Women and Girls, Expanding Access to Services and Increasing Women's
Leadership in Peace, Security and Humanitarian Response. It has been profoundly
effective in the protection of women and girls against sexual and gender-based
violence as well as promoting womens participation in governance.
UN Womens strategic plan for 2014-2017 reflects its strengthened coordination role,
notably the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Reviews (QCPR)16 extensive
consideration of gender equality and womens empowerment, including UN Womens
system-wide role and UN system-wide Action Plan on gender equality and womens
empowerment (UN_SWAP). The strategic plan reflects new and strengthened
partnerships within the UN system and with womens organizations and networks, other
civil society organizations, academia and experts, the mass media and the private
sector. These partnerships support UN-Womens advocacy for integration of gender
equality issues in all development sectors.
UN Women implements or supports initiatives aimed at improving gender equality in
Nigeria. The organization manages the fund for gender equality, which is a UN
Women grant-making mechanism dedicated exclusively to the economic and political
empowerment of women globally. Since its launch in 2009, the fund has delivered
grants of US$56mn to grantee programs in 72 countries. Nigeria has received about
US$7mn from this fund. Disbursements are targeted at the following initiatives: women
empowerment; stemming violence against women; and literacy. In addition to funding
programs that address gender disparities in Nigeria, UN Women also manages its own
programs such as the Women and Democracy in Nigeria program (this program is a
component of UNDPs DGD program) and the Orange Street Non-violence against
Women program. The Orange Street Non-violence against women program supports
initiatives aimed at preventing violence against women and protecting the rights of the
girl child. One of the reasons for the success of this program is its emphasis on
addressing the problem investigation and prosecution of cases of violence against
women and child abuse. It achieves this by sponsoring gender training for police
officers. The intention is to enhance awareness among law enforcement officers on
how to investigate and process domestic violence cases.
WORLD BANK GROUP
The World Banks current Country Program Strategy (CPS) for Nigeria (FY 2014-2017) lays
particular emphasisas one might expecton supporting inclusive macroeconomic
16
The QCPR is the mechanism through which the General Assembly assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact
of the UNs development systems support to national efforts of developing countries to pursue their priorities and meet their
developmental needs.
31
growth and development, reducing poverty and increasing shared prosperity. These
goals are articulated in key policy instruments, including the Vision 20:2020, and its
medium-term strategy for realizing that visionthe Transformation Agenda 2011-2015.
The World Banks CPS for FY 2014-2017 is structured around three strategic clusters
namely: (i) federally-led structural reform agendas for growth and jobs; (ii) the quality
and efficiency of social service delivery at the state level, i.e. addressing social
inequities; and (iii) governance and public sector management. Besides, being aligned
to the key policy instruments of government, the CPS is embedded within the broader
Country Assistance Framework (CAF)the common strategic approach developed by
a coalition of Nigerias development partners in support of Governments development
plans. The CAF partners include, African Development Bank, Canadian International
Development Agency, European Union, French Development Agency, UK Department
for International Development (DFID) , Embassy of Brazil and Embassy of China in
Nigeria, High Commission of India in Nigeria, International Monetary Fund, Japan
International Cooperation Agency, the Agencies of the UN, particularly UNDP and
UNICEF, USAID and WBG.
The World Bank Group is the largest donor in Nigeria, contributing over 42 percent of
the total donor development assistance to the country. In the current Nigeria CPS
(2014-2017), the World Bank has committed to three specific goal areas, including (a)
promoting diversified growth and job creation by reforming the power sector,
enhancing agricultural productivity, and increasing access to finance; (b) improving
the quality and efficiency of social service delivery at the state level to promote social
inclusion; and (c) strengthening governance and public sector management, with
gender equity and conflict sensitivity as essential elements of governance17. Under the
second goal area in the CPS, it articulated some engagement areas for health
education and gender equity with a strong focus on childrenincluding adolescent
girls (in principle) and women. While the CPS is not explicit on any specific and exclusive
goals or outcome areas for adolescent girls, it incubates enormous potentials for
providing support for adolescent girls programing in arenas such as conflict and
violence as well as girls voice, rights and participation.
In the education sector, the World Bank is implementing two projects targeted at
improving the quality of education in primary and secondary schools. These projects
are: the Lagos Eko Secondary Education Project and the State Education Program
Investment Project (SEPIP). In the past, most projects in the education sector focused on
improving infrastructure and public works, i.e. building new classrooms with little
17
The World Bank Group:FY2014-2017 Country Partnership Strategy for the Federal Republic of Nigeria; March 2014
32
emphasis on soft components, such as teaching delivery, education administration,

and teacher training. The Lagos Eko project and SEPIP take a contrary approach to
addressing the challenges in the Nigerian education sector. The intervention areas of
focus for these projects are as follows: improving the quality of public junior and senior
secondary education; need-based teacher deployment; continuing professional
development for teachers; improved learning outcomes in primary and secondary
schools; and improving school enrolment rates. One of the main achievements of the
Lagos Eko project is increased frequency of training for teachers in Lagos State through
a dedicated continuous professional development program agreed with the State
Ministry of Education. In addition, a key innovation of this project is the increased
involvement of parents and communities in school administration.
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (AFDB)
The Country Strategy for Nigeria proposed by AfDB for 2013-2017, aligns with the longterm development agenda of government as outlined in the vision 20:2020 and the
Transformation Agenda (TA:2011-2015). It is also aligned with CAF. The main focus of the
bank in this CPS is twofold- creating a sound policy environment and investing in critical
infrastructure. Under these two pillars, the bank also highlights a significant focus on key
crosscutting themes such as gender, human development (skills development), youth
employment, and resilience to climate change18. The current strategy considers
adolescent girls issues under its gender-related initiatives. The bank is currently
implementing a skills and functional literacy program in North with a specific focus on
women in the region.
The skills and functional literacy program is central to women empowerment initiatives
in the North. This program takes a different approach to traditional women
empowerment schemes that placed more emphasis on cash handouts and transfers.
This approach often failed to produce desired outcomes as recipients of financial
incentives lacked the know-how to establish sustainable incomes for themselves. AFDBs
skill and functional literacy program addresses this challenge by placing added
emphasis on improving the skills and functional literacy levels of women in the North
where literacy levels are the lowest compared to the national average. In the face of a
rapidly globalizing environment, empowerment programs that focus on skills and
literacy are more effective in promoting social inclusion and reducing economic
inequality. Mercy Corps The Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE)
program represents a positive approach to women empowerment in Nigeria given that
it seeks to transition girls in school or in informal education into economic activities. The
18
Nigeria Country Strategy Paper 2013-2017; The African Development Bank Group, January 2013
33
successes of this particular program can be scaled up by incorporating an

entrepreneurial skills component. This can be achieved by developing an
entrepreneurial curriculum that entrenches an independence and job creation mindset
in Nigerian girls. Effective delivery of such curriculum will contribute to broader efforts at
reducing gender inequality in Nigeria, particularly in the North.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
WHO Nigeria recently launched its third Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS III),
following the expiration of its CSSII in 2013. The new CSSIII is a six year plan from 20142019. The last five years of the CSSIII is expected to be synchronized with the planning
cycle of the next National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP) post 2015,
including the State Strategic Health Development Plans (SSHDPs). The CCS III priorities
are for now largely aligned to the priority areas of NSHDP 2010-2015, the outcomes in
the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF III) and the WHO 12th
General Program of Work. In this new CCSIII, WHO Nigeria has committed to five
strategic objectives including: [1] Strengthen health systems based on the primary
health care (PHC) approach; [2] Promote health and scale up priority interventions [3]
Scale up evidence-based priority interventions for communicable and
noncommunicable diseases towards universal health coverage: [4] Scale up national
capacity for preparedness for and response to public health emergencies including
polio eradication and crisis management: [5] Promote partnership coordination and
resource mobilization in alignment with national, regional and global priorities19.
Under strategic objective 2 of the CCS III, WHO has obligated to the promotion of
equity and gender mainstreaming through two strategic approaches focused on
gender and rights; including support for rights-based and gender dimensions of priority
health programs and for the adoption of organization-wide gender equality policy
including gender mainstreaming strategies into the activities of other ministries and
agencies. WHO will therefore sustain support for implementation of policy and
guidelines on issues that represent the greatest health burden to children and
adolescents and capacity development for the implementation of cost effective
interventions that focus on newborn, older children and adolescents, particularly
programs that increase access of school aged children and adolescents to relevant
information and services. WHO will also strengthen support to child and adolescent
health initiatives through its other areas of workMalaria, STI and HIV/AIDS).
19
WHO Country Cooperation Strategy, Nigeria (2014-2019); 2014
34
3.2.2 BILATERAL DONORS

Bilateral donors play a significant role in funding and promoting the implementation of
development programs in the country. Their work flanges both upstream and
downstream but they do more downstream work than the multilateral group. As a
group, bilateral donors share many similarities in their approaches to development
owing to the fact that their approaches align to the CAF and more importantly, are
rallied around shared global commitments. In terms of implementation however, they
are distinct in their priorities and strategies even in similar program areas. There are a
broad range of bilateral actors whose activities impact on the adolescent girls field to
differing degrees; some more directly than others. The major actors are discussed
presented below.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
The scale and scope of USAIDs development assistance portfolio in the country is
profound. Its strategy is designed to support Nigerian governments response to the
governance, economic, and human development challenges of the country. Therefore
its programs are fully aligned with Nigerian government priorities as laid out in the
Seven-Point Agenda and Vision 20, 20:2, while simultaneously tailored to the Country
Partnership Strategy (CPS) II and III. At the time of this study, the Nigeria Country
Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for 2014-2017 was not officially available,
the most current CDCS being that of 2010-2013. The CDCS 2010-2013 notwithstanding
provided a useful barometer for gauging USAID program mandate for Nigeria, which is
unlikely to vary widely in the new CDCS post 2014. USAIDs work is aggregated around
four policy pillars: governing justly and democratically; investing in people, particularly
through health and education; enhancing economic growth and trade; and improving
peace and security. Under these pillars, its objectives address five key issues including
youth, conflict, anticorruption, gender, and local institutional capacity, with a
conspicuous attention to the interests of children, adolescents, youths and women20.
USAID has a rich history supporting programs in adolescent sexual and reproductive
health and education in the country. Its approach to basic education support is
significantly systems strengthening; focused on addressing key issues in the
management, sustainability, governance and oversight of basic education. This
includes support to the GON for strengthening evidence based educational policy and
decision making; as well as providing significant support for strengthening non- formal
education systems. It has launched several grand initiatives including its current
Northern Education Initiative (NEI) project in Bauchi and Sokoto. Indeed, USAID has a
strong focus for Northeastern Nigeria, particularly in Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and
20
USAID/Nigeria Strategy 2010 2013
35
Yobe states, where access to educational opportunities have been profoundly

disrupted, owing to insurgency. In these areas, USAID funded initiatives provide
continuity to education for displaced children, improving the quality of teaching and
learning, increasing equitable access to education, stabilizing institutional capacity to
deliver education, and integrating peace-building and promoting safety in schools21.
In accordance with the US governments efforts at addressing the HIV epidemic in
Africa, USAID implements two very important projects namely: the AIDSTAR project and
the strengthening HIV prevention services for most-at-risk populations. Information
provided by USAID representatives interviewed for this study highlighted certain reasons
for the successes recorded from the implementation of both projects. For one,
increased emphasis on advocacy has helped to promote healthy behaviours among
high risk population hence, reducing HIV prevalence especially in Northern Nigeria.
Central to advocacy initiatives under both projects is the provision of HIV counseling
and increased access to testing services as people are encouraged to know their HIV
status. Difficulty in disclosing HIV status presents an enormous challenge to effective
implementation of HIV projects and programs. This is why advocacy is very important.
Targeted advocacy, particularly in the North, has helped to increase male
engagement in healthcare facilities, especially in rural areas.
UK Department for International Development (DFID)
DFIDs vision for Nigeria, which is aligned to Nigerian government priorities and the joint
donor strategy embedded in the CAF framework; is one of a peaceful, more
democratic and prosperous Nigeria, meeting the basic needs of its citizens,22. Spurred
by this vision, and a philosophy that Investing in girls and women is the smart thing to
do, as well as the right thing to do17, DFID prioritizes the improvement of the prospects
for girls and women across its efforts globally. In the Country Operational Plan (COP) for
Nigeria (2011-2016), revised in December 2014; DFID translates this philosophy into
concrete actions evidenced in its six direct strategic program pillars, including
governance, wealth creation, health, education, water and sanitation and poverty
and vulnerability. The trajectory of its support is on [1] support for social and economic
rights through programs on jobs and economic growth and on promoting basic services
in health, education and water and sanitation; [2] addressing inequalities through
heavy investments in girls and womens empowerment across the program, with
increased programmatic focus on the North; [3] investing heavily on deepening civil
and political rights programs; [4] empowering citizens to claim rights through
strengthening voice and accountability and [5] raising human rights issues, including on
21
22
See https://www.usaid.gov/nigeria/education for further details

DFID Nigeria, Operational Plan 2011-2016: December 2014
36
LGBT17. Across all of these strategic pillars and efforts, DFID has articulated very clear
strategies, targets and outcome areas for girls.
DFIDs mandate in Nigeria is focused on northern Nigeria, where it has six of eight of its
focus states and invests more than 60% of its funds on major projects17 (Kaduna, Kano
and Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara and Yobe)for instance the Girls Education Project
currently in its third phase. The other two priority states are Lagos and Enugu (and
potentially Delta). Also DFID is implementing the Girls' Education Challenge program
(GEC) which aims at helping the poorest girls to have an opportunity to improve their
lives through education. The initiative focuses on finding better ways of increasing girls
enrolment in school and access to quality education in order to transform their future.
Furthermore, programs such as the Common Ground Initiative (CGI), co-funded by
DFID and managed by Comic Relief, are currently being implemented to directly and
indirectly create real and sustainable change for girls in some of the poorest and most
disadvantaged communities in Nigeria.
DFID is actively involved in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria through its
HIVAIDS support project, which is mainly focused on Northern Nigeria. In similar vein as
USAIDs AIDSTAR project, the HIV/AIDS support project places added emphasis on
increased advocacy on HIV prevention targeted at high-risk groups. One of the reasons
why this project is successful is that it uses a tracking system to ensure adherence
among ART clients. Again, this project has helped reduce HIV prevention in Northern
Nigeria by deploying more resources to most-at-risk groups in target populations.
European Union/Commission (EU/EC)
The latest EU/EC-Nigeria cooperation strategy available to the study team was the 10th
EDF Country Cooperation with Nigeria for 2008-2013. Based on the analysis of this
instrument and the framework of the 9th EDF, it is clear that the underlying mandate of
the EU/EC support to Nigeria is critically centered on the eradication of poverty in the
context of sustainable development, with particular attention to the MDGs, putting
human rights and good governance as critically important objectives. The EU/EC
funding is in two major categories; the focal and non-focal sector. The focal sector
includes [1] Peace and security [2] Governance and human rights and [3] Trade,
regional integration and energy; while the non-focal sector covers a range of issues
covered as contingency themes, including [1] Environmental protection and climate
change [2] Health and immunization and [3] Cultural, scientific and technical
cooperation. The EU/EC Nigeria cooperation mandate for adolescent girls is not
particularly explicit in the 10th EDF and so it is difficult to assess its positioning in this
arena.
37
Canada Department for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) [formerly
CIDA]
The goal of Canada's international development program in Nigeria is to help the
country achieve equitable and sustainable poverty reduction23. This goal aligns with the
relevant plans and sector priorities particularly in the health sector, for instance the
National Health Sector Development Plan (NSHDP 2010-2015 and upcoming 2016-2020
NSHDP 2) and the Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (IMNCH) Strategy.
Canada works closely with Nigeria to improve health outcomes particularly on
improving health systems to meet the needs of mothers, newborns and children17. It also
focuses its development attention on sustainable economic growth and in this area,
invests in supporting governments efforts aimed at creating meaningful, sustainable
employment, especially for youth. DFATD supports nationwide initiatives but is primarily
focused on the south-south [Cross River] and North east [Bauchi] 17. In the north east,
DFATD provides support to children and their families in conflict affected and
emergency situations support. For instance through the Emergency Assistance for
Populations in North-Eastern Nigeria Programme commissioned in March 2015, DFATD
funds Action Against Hunger to address the urgent needs of internally displaced
children in communities affected by violence in Yobe State. Through this grant, DFATD is
providing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities; latrines for health facilities and
schools; including the promotion of safe hygiene practices24.
Additionally, DFATD provides support through multi-country multilateral partnerships for
programs focused on children and adolescent girls in humanitarian crises. For instance
With DFATD and other donors support, UNICEF is implementing the Education in
Emergencies and Child Protection program on education and protection needs of
children in Nigeria. This project is part of a multi-country effort, aimed at providing
protected temporary and transitional learning spaces; providing learning and playing
material; providing counseling and psychological support; training teachers in
education and in disaster risk reduction; reinforcing/retrofitting schools in disaster-prone
areas; and providing rapid establishment of effective leadership for education cluster
coordination. Similarly in the Preventing Child, Early and Forced Marriage program
being implemented in Nigeria and Pakistan, through support to Save the Children
Canada, DFATD supports the protection and empowerment of girls and boys who are
already married, separated or divorced. The project works with civil society
organizations and networks and key government ministries to promote delaying
marriage and the age of parenthood, as well as to strengthen the protection of child
rights.
23
24
See http://www.international.gc.ca/development-developpement/countries-pays/nigeria
See http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca
38
Other notable initiatives of DFATD which are currently operational and which have
significant impact on adolescent girls in the country include;
The Scaling Up Nutrition project through DFATD funding to Helen Keller
International aimed at improving the well-being and survival of children under
the age of five in 13 African countries including Nigeria by delivering costeffective life-saving nutrition and health services including vitamin A
supplementation to prevent blindness and early death, immunizations to prevent
common childhood illnesses, and de-worming medication to improve the
nutrition and general health of children.
The Protecting Adolescent Health and Rights program through funding to World
Renew international in partnership with Beacon of Hope Initiative (BHI) in Nigeria,
DFATD supports adolescents, particularly girls aged 13-18, in 71 communities in
Nigeria who are most at risk. The effort aims at increasing healthy behaviors
among adolescents to reduce the risks of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted
infections and early/unwanted pregnancies. The project also intends to better
protect adolescents, especially girls, from violence and sexual abuse and
improve girls literacy and vocational skills.
The Community-Based Treatment for Children in Africa, through funding to the
International Rescue Committees (IRC), DFATD supports efforts aimed at
improving access to Life-Saving Treatment to children, particularly for the
treatment for malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia.
The Shaping Local Markets for Diarrhea Treatment program which contributes
through funding to the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to reducing the
morbidities and mortalities from diarrhea amongst 4.2 million children; five years
of age in five Nigerian states.
The Enhancing the Ability of Frontline Health Workers to Improve Health in Bauchi
and Cross River States, focused on improving the health and reducing the death
of infants, children, women and men in Bauchi and Cross River States
The Youth Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Access and Development Project
(YouLead) aimed at increasing the sustainable economic growth and prosperity
of women, men and children in Cross River State, by increasing job and
entrepreneurial opportunities.
The Polio Eradication Program to increase the number of children under five who
receive the polio vaccine.
The Accelerating the Reduction of Maternal and Newborn Mortality initiative
designed to strengthen the delivery of maternal, newborn and child health
services through evidence-based and gender-responsive interventions, working
with existing health and community structures. The initiative is aimed at reducing
39
maternal, infant and child mortalities in 15 states plus the federal capital territory
of Nigeria.
The Deepening Democracy and Election Support project, supported by DAFTD in
collaboration with DFID, UNDP and the European Commission (EC), is focused on
strengthening key electoral and democratic institutions, for fostering active
citizenship through support for gender inclusion and participation in national
planning and development.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

JICA implements the Official Development Assistance of the Japanese government. It
provides bilateral aid in the form of Technical Cooperation, Japanese ODA Loans and
Grant Aid to developing countries. In Nigeria, JICA aligns with CAF and works within five
key sectors including Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, basic education, health, rural
electrification, agriculture as well as in the cross cutting area of women empowerment;
spread across Abuja, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo and Lagos States respectively25. For
instance, the Upu Health Centre in Otukpo Local Government Area in Benue State,
which is a grant funded initiative of JICA, seeks to promote easy access to
comprehensive health care delivery in the most remote communities in the country.
JICA implements a number of small, emergency and short term grants, on an on-going
basis; that have specifically impacted in one way or the other on adolescent girls in the
country. These grants are usually applied to supporting critical response in conflict and
emergency situations, or to infrastructural and capacity development of basic
education at sub-national levels20. Examples of the application of these short term
emergency aid include, the provision of 231 classrooms and 4620 set of desks and
chairs for the purpose of improvement of the quality of primary education in Oyo
State20. Also aid grant program through IFRC/NRCS, to provide assistance to vulnerable
women, girls, children and the Elderly affected by civil unrest in Northeastern Nigeria; as
well as funding to UNICEF, the International Labor Organization (ILO), and UNFPA to
support the protection of women from sexual and gender violence as well as the
provision of psychosocial support for the abducted school girls and their families in
Chibok LGA (Local Government Area) of Borno State20.
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
International cooperation between Germany and Nigeria commenced in 1974. GIZ
was initially represented by an office in Lagos until 2003, but since 2004 it has
maintained a country office and four project offices in Abuja, the Federal Capital
25
See http://www.jica.go.jp/nigeria/english/activities/index.html
40
Territory. As agreed between the Nigerian and German governments, GIZs activities
since 2002 have focused on sustainable economic development. GIZ is also engaged
in the energy sector, agriculture and regional integration. In the energy sector, GIZ
provides advisory services to Nigerian partners on issues such as rural electrification,
energy efficiency and renewable energies, and is contributing to the success of the
Nigeria-German Energy Partnership (NGEP).
In the area of social development, GIZ cooperates with the Federal Ministry of Finance
to implement the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI). The German Federal Government
provides financial support to the SSI and is also providing consultancy and assistance
with project coordination. In addition, the SSI offers young people from secondary
school in high-risk areas the opportunity to voluntarily transfer to boarding schools in
safer parts of Nigeria26. Here, they are also provided with psychological support to deal
with the trauma they have experienced. Meanwhile, partners in the initiative are
seeking to offer school tuition to children and youths in refugee camps and
municipalities that have a high proportion of refugees.
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
The KOICA Nigeria Office was opened in 2008 and has been supporting the socioeconomic development initiatives in the country since then. KOICAs Country
Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Nigeria covers the period 2012 to 2015 and is in
consideration of Nigerias development environment, needs and priorities as well as
Koreas comparative advantage and resource management capacity. The CPS
revolves around three strategic pillars namely: (1) promoting ownership (i.e. resultsbased management); (2) harmonization with other donors (i.e. improving aid
effectiveness and overcoming aid fragmentation); and (3) alignment with the
NV20:202027 (i.e. contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction).
Currently, KOICA focuses on the following sectors: education; vocational training;
governance; agriculture; and human resource development. In 2013, KOICA in
partnership with the Universal Basic Education Commission- initiated the project for
Establishment of the Model Schools for Primary and Junior Secondary Education. This
project is currently being implemented in Adamawa, the FCT, and Gombe. These
projects are designed to provide quality educational environment to stimulate the
learning of pupils, teachers and the community at large. In response to the
governments interest in technical and vocational education training, KOICA has
26
As at July 2015, about 1200 students have been moved to boarding schools in safe parts of Nigeria, where they have been able
to continue their education.
27
NV20:2020 Nigerias Development Strategy
41
commenced the establishment of the project of Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute and

Advanced Technology in Kogi State. The objective of this project is to produce welltrained and qualified instructors, high quality training to students for the promotion of
human resource development and employment. It also symbolizes friendship and
cooperation between Korea and Nigeria.
Korea is a leader in e-government28 and is currently partnering with the Nigeria Civil
Service Commission to transfer its e-government capacity to Nigeria as a way of
improving public service delivery. In response to Nigerias e-government Masterplan,
KOICA is sponsoring a number of civil servants from the Nigerian civil service to
participate in e-government trainings in selected South Korean Universities. Since the
inception of this e-government initiative in June 2015, KOICA has sponsored 30 civil
servants drawn from the following agencies: Federal Ministry of Communication
Technology (FMCT), Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), National Information
Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Center for Management Development
(CMD), National Planning Commission (NPC), Galaxy Backbone (GBB), and the Office
of the Head Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF). Given South Koreas expertise in
Information Technology, GEN can partner with KOICA to develop a basic ICT training
program for girls and women. This partnership should help in promoting greater social
and economic inclusion for women in Nigeria.
3.2.3 FOUNDATIONS AND TRUSTS
International philanthropic foundations may contribute less in funding for development
assistance in Nigeria compared to the multilateral and bilateral donors, however they
play an equally important role in promoting socio-economic and scientific growth and
development in country. Indeed they have some particular advantages over
multilateral and bilateral aid agencies when it comes to delivering development
assistance generally; for example the capacity to provide and sustain small amounts of
seed grants to support initiatives over a long time. Also, philanthropic foundations are
able to work directly with local organizations without working through the prism of the
country agreement. This means greater flexibility with funding application compared to
multilateral and bilateral donors. This gives them the unique advantage of being able
to better support de novo grass root initiatives.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (MacArthur foundation)
MacArthur foundation is a US philanthropic foundation with a global reach. The
foundation works in about 50 countries around the world and maintains offices in India,
Mexico, Nigeria and Russia. In Nigeria, the foundation is profoundly active in
28
UN rated Korea no.1 in its e-government readiness survey for 2013.
42
reproductive and sexual health, human rights and the rule of law, higher education
and girls secondary education. Its focus on reproductive health covers issues of
maternal mortality and young peoples sexual health under which it has supported
media programs which provide sexual health curriculum online and teen sexual advice
through telephone hotline services. It has significant interests in the improvement of
maternal health services in refugee settings. In the adolescent girls programing area, it
supports grantees to work in the promotion of girls basic education and infrastructural
development in tertiary institutions. The MacArthur Foundation currently partners with
NEMA and local NGOs in the provision of healthcare workers for women and children in
designated IDP camps. These healthcare workers are supposed to attend to the
reproductive healthcare needs of the women and girls in these IDP camps. This initiative
represents a step in the right direction as it concerns the addressing the peculiar needs
of women affected by the insurgency in the North East. This direct approach places
SRH services at the core of the response to the humanitarian crisis in the North East.
MacArthur Foundations approach is effective as it deviates from the traditional
humanitarian response that focuses more on the provision of relief materials for people
affected by crisis.
The Ford Foundation
Ford foundation is as old as Nigeria. It established its office in Nigeria, in Lagos in 1960.
The Foundation has three other offices in Africa-Johannesburg, Nairobi and Cairo.
Lagos acts as the West Africa hub, although the majority of the foundations
mandateabout 75 percent annually, supports projects in Nigeria. The foundation has
interests in four key areas including [1] Promoting transparent, accountable and
effective government; [2] Improving youth sexuality and health; [3] Advancing media
capacity, including; and [4] Promoting Heritage and legacy29. Across these themes, the
foundation supports people, organizations, projects and initiatives committed to[a]
building institutional transparency, effectiveness and excellence, [b] fostering
democratic participation and equal opportunity [c] promoting democratic values and
citizens engagement in social and economic rights advocacy; [d] developing small
and medium-sized businesses particularly for women, and [e] advancing reproductive
health and rights among young people, both in-and out-of-school youths30.
With respect to adolescent girls, Ford Foundation is actively involved in addressing
gender-based violence in Nigeria. Currently, CLEEN Foundation is the implementing
partner for Ford Foundations Gender-based Violence & Improving Police
Accountability project. This project is being implemented nationwide and in addition
29
30
http://www.fordfoundation.org/regions/west-africa
Ford Foundation-50 years on the ground; West Africa report: 2010
43
to added advocacy, seeks to build capacity within the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to
address gender-based violence. One of the challenges to reducing the growing rate of
gender-based violence in Nigeria is the lack of capacity in the NPF to effectively
investigate and prosecute cases of violence against women. The male-dominated
nature of Nigerian society contributes to the lopsided approach of the NPF to cases of
domestic and gender-based violence. Ford Foundations two-pronged approach to
addressing the problem of gender-based violence is innovative as it combines
advocacy with capacity building in the Nigerian Police Force. So far, about 600 police
officers have been trained on how to properly investigate and prosecute cases of
gender-based violence.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Nigeria works to help all people particularly
children and women lead healthy, productive lives. The foundations current Aid spend
in the country amounts to more than USD $400 million in funding to partner
organizations that are operating in health and development programs across the
country. A significant part of this funding is invested into the eradication of polio by
expanding access to childhood vaccines, increasing food production through
improved agricultural tools and strategies for small farmers, the promotion of safe
motherhood and family planning, financial services for the poor, safe water and
sanitation, and other effective, low-cost innovations. Although the foundation does not
have direct and exclusive goals and strategies or outcome areas in the adolescent
girls field, there are potential areas of intersection amongst its over 100 currently active
grants in Nigeria with partner organizations31.
In the health sector, Bill & Mellinda Gates Foundation funds the maternal and child
health project in North East Nigeria. The Society for Family Health (SFH) is the
implementing partner for this project. This project focuses on providing effective and
efficient approaches to improve maternal and newborn health practices in the home,
as well as facilitate enhanced facility-based maternal, neo-natal and child health
services in the region. What has worked in the implementation of this project is securing
the commitment of government at the state-level to streamline funding for M&NH and
SRH services at the grassroots. Consequently, funding for improving M&NH issues is now
being channeled through primary healthcare agencies thus improving access at the
rural level. Furthermore, this project has worked well because it integrates nutrition as a
key component. Nutrition is central to ante-natal and post-natal care to women in the
region.
31
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/PressReleases
44
Save the Children

Save the Children invests in Childhood in times of crisis and for our future. Around the
world, its programs are geared towards giving children a healthy start, the opportunity
to learn and protection from harm. Save the Children has been working in Nigeria since
2001. At present, majority of its programs are in Northern Nigeria where it delivers
maternal, newborn, nutrition, and child health services, including the revival of routine
immunization. Furthermore, Save the Children is working to strengthen health systems
and support maternal and child health in North East Nigeria. In addition to voluntary
donations, most of its programs are funded by donor agencies, particularly DFID and
USAID. For instance, Save the Children is a critical implementing partner for USAIDs
US$25mn TSHIP program. In response to the humanitarian crisis in the North East, Save
the Children is currently collaborating with NEMA and UNICEF to implement child
protection initiatives in designated IDP camps.
Oxfam-Novib
Oxfams work in Nigeria focuses on the following areas: economic justice and
improving livelihoods; gender justice and female leadership; good governance and the
Niger Delta; and disaster risk reduction and responding to humanitarian crises. Oxfams
vision for Nigeria includes a transparent and accountable government, active citizens,
and private sector that works toward shared growth that is equitable to meet the needs
of the people, especially the vulnerable poor.
Oxfam has been active in the women empowerment space in Nigeria, partnering with
the public and private sectors and civil society to empower women and help them to
claim their rights. In 2013, Oxfam launched the Female Food Hero Award for Excellence
to celebrate women who have contributed to improving the livelihoods of women
through agriculture. Unilever provides financial support for this initiative. The Female
Food Hero Award Initiative is being scaled up to be driven by the Federal Ministry of
Women Affairs at the federal level. Oxfam believes that women empowerment in
Nigeria can be improved through increased participation of women in the political
space. Before the 2015 General Elections, Oxfam organized two programs to
encourage female participation in political governance and to change erroneous
perceptions about the acumen and capability of women: the she should run
program and the female youth participation in governance program. These
programs are being scaled up in preparation for the next electoral cycle in 2019.
45
3.2.4 Embassies and High Commissions

Many foreign embassies in Nigeria have small grant schemes and tailored programs to
support and strengthen civil society and their locally registered NGOs/CBOs or
networks. In most cases, embassies play a vital role in the co-ordination of bilateral and
multilateral development efforts from their home countries. Whilst some embassies
mainly organize and directly implement their home country bilateral aid, for instance
the US and Dutch Embassies; some others manage entire grant schemes-German
Embassy. In Nigeria, a few embassies provide a structured grant support schemes for
adolescent programing. For instance the Ambassadors' Girls' Scholarship Program
(AGSP) Nigeria by the US Embassy. Most embassy support however is short term,
usually annual grants to provide ad-hoc but crucial and ancillary training, capacity
development or material support. Data on the scope of foreign embassy grant or aid in
the adolescent girls field is not comprehensive; however, the most notable embassy
support identified by this study based on the available data, as at the time of data
collation include:
The US government mission in Nigeria which operates two delegations in the country: an
Embassy in Abuja and a consular office in Lagos State. The mission coordinates several
small and short term grants that support local civil society and government initiatives.
Some of its grant programs include a US-Nigeria Bi-national Commission, a strategic
collaborative forum to expand mutual cooperation across a broad range of shared
interests; through which it supports a number of home grown initiatives; for instance the
promotion of justice, access to human rights, peace and socio-economic development
in the Niger delta. Also the embassy coordinates the President Obamas Young African
Leaders Initiative (YALI)32 that empowers young people through academic coursework,
leadership training, and networking. Similarly, it operates the Carrington Youth
Fellowship Initiative, CYFI33; a dynamic youth-based initiative, conjured by the former US
Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington and launched in 2011 by the U.S. Consulate
General, Lagos. CYFI brings together Nigerian youth of exceptional vision, skills and
experience to design and implement projects that have a positive impact on Nigerian
society. Recently the embassy has shown profound support for the Protection of
Children and adolescents, particularly girls from violence and conflicts; exemplified by
the recent support to government and civil society, for the launch of the Year of
Action to End Violence against Children in Nigeria on September 15 2015, in Abuja.
The High Commission of Canada to Nigeria implements the Canada Fund for Local
Initiatives (CFLI), an ongoing funding strategy which mainly provides support for small
32
33
https://youngafricanleaders.state.gov/washington-fellowship/
http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/news-events.html
46
projects proposed and implemented by local organizations in Nigeria. CFLI provides

funding for small multisectoral projects that offer direct social, economic, or technical
assistance to local populations. Recent and relevant projects in the adolescent girls
arena supported by CFLI in Nigeria include: support to both the Initiative for Peoples
Good Health (IPGH) and Dreamboat Theatre for Development Foundation both in
Cross River State; for the Capacity of Adolescent Girls and Young Women on Basic Life,
Economic and Vocational Skills and Leadership Empowerment34.
The Australian High Commission in Abuja implements two main funding schemes called
the Direct Aid Program (DAP) and Small Activities Scheme (SAS). Indeed most AusAID
grants is coordinated by the Australian embassy in Nigeria. SAS is administered by
the resident AusAID officer at the Australian Embassy or High Commission and aims to
contribute to the reduction of poverty and the achievement of sustainable
development through small scale interventions. DAP is the managed by the Australian
Ambassador in line with the country strategic plan of the Australian Embassy. DAP is a
flexible small grants program primarily providing direct support to projects working with
the most vulnerable and needy, particularly those that promote gender equality and
womens empowerment; and focus on the needs of children, youth, and other
disadvantaged groups. DAP funds a wide range of project budgets, up to an upper
limit of 60,000 Australian dollars (US$55,000) for individual projects35.
Norway does not have any official aid agreements with the Nigeria government.
However, it provides some aid to support specific initiatives of government and Civil
Society in the country through several mechanisms including the Norwegian Agency for
Development Cooperation (Norad); contribution to multilateral agencies, international
and Norwegian based NGOs; as well as through short term grants to local Nigerian
NGOs. Norwegian Aid to the country is focused on maternal and child health,
democracy, human rights and good governance. The volume of its bilateral aid to
Nigeria as at 2014 grossed over 75 million kroner (over $8.5 million); with the majority
offered through INGOs and Local NGOs (Figure 3)36. Examples of current project
support with Norwegian funding include; a five-year grant of NOK 30 million ($3.6
million) contributed to the Federal Government campaign-Saving one million lives,
aimed at increasing access to life-saving medicines for women and children across the
country. Similarly Norway though its embassy in Nigeria provided NOK 10 million37 to
efforts to promote safe schooling for girls in northern Nigeria38 and support communities
affected by the Chibok abductions. It is also supporting the "African Network for
34
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/cidaweb/cpo.nsf
nigeria.highcommission.gov.au
36
http://www.norad.no/en/front/countries/africa/nigeria
37
http://www.emb-norway.com.ng
38
The FMoF chairs the steering committee for the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI)
35
47
Environment and Economic Justice" (ANEEJ), as well as UNDP to improve governance

of the states in the Niger Delta region, protection of human rights and the development
of a national peace architecture in the country.
Additionally Norway alongside other donor countries like Finland, Denmark, Saudi
Arabia, France, Sweden and Netherlands provide ad-hoc Aid to Nigeria for countertrafficking and anti-Violence interventions either directly to the relevant government
agencies-NAPTIP and NDLEA or through the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) and UNODC in Nigeria.
3.2.5 Other Funding Mechanisms
There are a number of other major funding mechanisms whose investments impact on
adolescent girls in Nigeria. For instance the Global Fund for Tuberculosis, AIDS and
Malaria (GFTAM), which supports antiretroviral treatment for AIDS, diagnosis and
treatment of Tuberculosis as well as the distribution of Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets
(LLINS). Available evidence suggests that the Global Fund has disbursed over USD 1.27
billion in Nigeria to date, supporting over 670, 000 people currently on antiretroviral
treatment, including 387,000 people tested and treated for tuberculosis and 60 million
bed nets distributed to protect children and families from malaria39.
The Global Fund for Children (GFC) is currently working with a number of strategic
partners in Nigeria, to provide support to innovative grassroots organizations and
initiatives that promote the protection of vulnerable children and youth in Nigeria;
particularly in areas affected by conflict. For instance GFC supports the Centre for
Childrens Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE), which works in
rural communities and urban slums to provide educational assistance, leadership
training, and mentorship support to girls, especially victims of gender-based violence
and sexual abuse. Similarly, GFC supports Bo Sita MADE, a female-led youth
development organization that responds to the needs of victims as well as adolescents
and women at risk of human trafficking40. The Global Fund for Women (GFW) is also
actively supporting programs for girls in Nigeria, particularly in the areas of education
and political and socioeconomic rights access and protection. For instance, working in
partnership with African Womens Development Fund (AWDF), GFW supports womens
groups in northern Nigeria through small grants to advance collective local advocacy
for the promotion and protection of the rights of the abducted Chibok girls as well as all
girls in similar circumstances all over the country41. The AWDF is a grant-making
foundation that supports local, national and regional womens organizations working
39
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/oig/updates/2015-02-20
See more at: http://www.globalfundforchildren.org
41
See more at: https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/impact
40
48
towards the empowerment of African women and the promotion and realization of
their rights. By amplifying and celebrating African womens voices and achievements,
the AWDF supports efforts that combat harmful stereotypes, and promote African
women as active agents of change.
3.3 KEY GOVERNMENT ACTORS

Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (FMWASD)
The broad mandate of this ministry is to advise government on gender and children
issues including issues affecting Persons with Disabilities and the Aged; as well as to
initiate policy guidelines and lead the process of gender equality and mainstreaming at
both the national and international levels42. The mandate for children covers all
individuals below the age of 18 years and since adolescents are defined as individuals
between 10 and 19 years of age, this ministry is charged by implication with the
responsibility to address issues specific and exclusive to adolescent girls, including its
dimensions as covered by the Child Rights Act (2003). In accordance with its mandate,
the Ministry operates three key departments namely: women and gender affairs; child
development; and rehabilitation22. The activities of these departments impact
specifically on adolescent girls. FMWASD is guided by several key policy documents
including the Child Rights Act 2004, National Gender Policy (2006) with its Strategic
Results Framework (Implementation Plan 2009-2013). The ministry also has one
parastatal- the National Center for Women Development (NCWD), which is
empowered to implement all of its mandates. All other ministries and their MDAs
collaborate with FMWASD to actualize the sectoral dimensions of gender equality,
children and women in their respective programs.
The National Gender Policy and its Strategic Results Framework (Implementation Plan)
aligns with national and international conventions and laws, in support for gender
equality, the empowerment of women, womens human rights as well as Childrens
rights and development. It highlights 16 key thematic areas43 focused around 5 critical
policy areas, with children and adolescent issues cross cutting. These 5 policy areas
include[a] Culture re-orientation and sensitization to change gender perceptions and
stereotypes; [b] Promotion of womens human rights and in particular focusing on
sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) and in supporting new legislations and legal
rights of women; [c] Promoting the empowerment of women and integrating gender
within key sectors as highlighted within the NGP(Agriculture/Rural Development;
Environment/Natural Resource; Gender and HIV/AIDS; Health and Reproductive
42
43
http://www.womenaffairs.gov.ng/index.php/the-ministry/aboutus
National Gender Policy Strategic Framework (Implementation Plan) Federal Republic Of Nigeria 2008 2013
49
Health/ Rights; Education/Training; Labor/Employment); [d] Womens political

participation and engendered governance including gender and conflict
management and [e] Supporting institutional development including the use of ICT and
building strategic partnerships, including identifying new partnerships with mens
organizations, Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) and traditional institutions44. The plan
has specific goals and strategies for children and adolescents, although falls short of
outlining specific outcome areas exclusive for adolescents girls.
Federal Ministry of Education (FME)
The Education sector in Nigeria is one of the few where there is profound attention on
the advancement of the girl child spurred by the corresponding concentration of
efforts at the international stage through the Education for All Initiative and the UN
Millennium Development Goals. The Federal Ministry of Education, through its
departments, agencies and parastatals has the principal mandate for developing,
enforcing and monitoring sector specific policies geared towards ensuring equal and
adequate educational opportunities as well as the provision of compulsory, free and
universal basic, post basic and tertiary education for all children including adolescent
girls. The impetus for its efforts on the girl child is enshrined within the constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, through a number of laws including the Universal Basic
Education Act 2004; as well as national economic planning instruments, such as Nigeria
Vision 20:2020 and its medium term implementation framework-the Transformation
Agenda (TA 2010-2015). Empowered by these instruments, FME has evolved a good
number of education sector policies and strategic frameworks, with, specific goals,
strategies and key outcome areas for adolescent girls including the National Policy on
Education-NPE (2013), National Strategic Plan for the Education Sector (2011-2015),
National Policy on Gender in Basic Education (2007), National Framework on Girls and
Women Education and National Action Plan on Education-NAPE (2006).
Whilst the National Policy on Education (NPE) emphasizes the Universal Basic Education
Agenda, the National Policy on Gender in Basic Education (2007) and National
Framework on Girls and Women Education enunciate NPEs commitments to ensuring
gender equality and equity in the education system, especially for disadvantaged girls
and the physically challenged. The National Action Plan on Education (NAP) while
outlining the objectives for the education reform agenda by 2015, emphasizes
governments critical commitment to ensuring the enrolment, retention, completion
and transition of girls in schools. Other policies such as National Policy on HIV/AIDS for
the Education Sector (2007), National School Health Policy (2006), the guidelines for
44
National Gender Policy (2006)
50
school based comprehensive sexuality education in Nigeria and the National Sexuality
Education curriculum as well as the guidelines for mainstreaming issues in Trafficking in
Persons (TIP) into the Basic and Senior Secondary curricula in Nigeria through
NAPTIP/NERDC collaboration; exemplify some inter-sectoral and inter-agency
collaboration in policy formulation between FME and other MDAs in the adolescent
girls field. The key parastatals of the Ministry of Education which play significant role in
the girls education agenda include Nigeria Educational Research and Development
Council (NERDC), National Primary Education Commission (NPEC), Universal Basic
Education Commission (UBEC), Education Trust Fund (ETF), National Board for Technical
Education (NBTE), National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), and National
Commission for Mass Literacy (NCME).
Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH)
FMOH has the mandate to provide quality stewardship and services for the health of all
Nigerians. Through the department of Family Health, it develops and implements
policies and programmes that enhance the standard of living and quality of life of all
Nigerians and in particular adolescents; within the overall goal to significantly increase
the life expectancy and quality of life of Nigerians; especially women and children.
FMOH has developed a significant number of policies that impact on the health and
well-being of the adolescent girl, including the National Health Policy, which provides
an open-ended framework for the promotion and protection of the rights to access to
quality health services for all Nigerians; the National Policy on the Health &
Development of Adolescents & Young People in Nigeria (2007), the National
Reproductive Health Policy and Strategy to Achieve Quality Reproductive and Sexual
Health for All Nigerians (2001), National Strategic Framework on the Health &
Development of Adolescents & Young People in Nigeria (2007-2011), National
Guidelines for the Integration of Adolescent and Youth Friendly services into primary
health care facilities in Nigeria (2013), National Policy on the Elimination of Female
Genital Mutilation and the Action Plan for Advancing Young Peoples Health and
Development in Nigeria (2010). These policies and frameworks are amongst a host of
others, which enunciate governments commitments to the protection and promotion
of the rights of adolescents-particularly girls.
Federal Ministry of Justice (FMJ)
The mandate of the Federal Ministry of Justice is to ensure and promote justice for all,
including the provision of a sound legal framework for the maintenance of the rule of
law, and economic and social reform. Its responsibilities include amongst others,
criminal prosecutions, defence of civil suits, provision of legal advice to government
organisations and institutions, drafting of Bills and handling of complaints of breaches of
51
Citizens' Rights. In the area of protecting and promoting adolescent girls rights, there is a
history of proactive collaboration between some agencies of FMJ and the international
development community- donors, implementing partners, Civil Society and with other
MDAs. Two key agencies of the FMJ involved in the protection and promotion of the
rights of adolescent girls include National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons
and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) and the National Human Rights Commission.
NAPTIP is the countrys focal agency in the fight against trafficking in persons
particularly the trafficking of young girls and children for illegal labour and sexual
exploitation. It has a rich history of collaborations with other MDAs, and International
Development partners in its fight against the trafficking of girls. The development of
guidelines for mainstreaming Trafficking in Persons (TIP) issues into the basic and senior
secondary curricula in Nigeria through a collaboration with NERDC, and the EU funded
project implemented by NAPTIP in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) to strengthen the national response to irregular migration that
occurs through trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM); as well as
the collaborations with National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND) and
National Directorate of Employment (NDE) for the rehabilitation of victims of human
trafficking exemplify some of the on-going inter-sectoral partnerships for adolescent
girls, that FMJ is involved in.
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)-NHRC operates as an extra-judicial
mechanism for enhancing the enjoyment of ALL human rights by Nigerians. Its primary
function is to create an enabling environment for the promotion, protection and
enforcement of ALL human rights. Empowered by the NHRC (Amendment) Act, 2010
and guided by the National Action Plan (NAP) for the promotion and protection of
human rights, the commission focuses on 16 thematic areas including women and
gender equality and childrens rights, which includes the protection and promotion of
adolescent girls rights.
Other MDAs
There are a number of other MDAs whose activities somewhat intersect with those of
the key MDAs outlined above in the field of the advancement of the rights and wellbeing of adolescent girls; including the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and
Investment through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria
(SMEDAN), which initiates and articulates policy ideas for small and medium enterprises
growth and development in the country. SMEDAN, in one of its key policiesthe
National Policy on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (2015), articulates very strong
policy positions and programs for the economic empowerment and development of
52
women and youths through entrepreneurship development, rural industrialization,

poverty reduction, job creation and enhanced livelihoods. Similarly, the Federal Ministry
of Labour and Productivity through its agencies like the National Directorate of
Employment (NDE) and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP); as well as a
few agencies in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and Federal Ministry of
Youth Development (Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC); although
mostly focused on youth development, are equally empowered by the same
mandates and programs to collaborate with adolescent girls initiatives in the country.
3.4 Major Programs Being Implemented for Adolescent Girls in Nigeria

The program landscape for adolescent girls in the country is varied and complex,
owing to multiple actors implementing actions of varying scopes and scales, across a
broad spectrum of thematic areas. Donor funded programs vary widely; whilst some
are stand-alone initiatives (UNFPA Action for Adolescent Girls), most provide integrated
support across multiple sectors, in actions covering several geographical areas; for
instance GRM International & ITAD implements the DFID funded Voices 4 Change
program in 5 states (Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Niger and FCT), which tackles the
underlying causes of gender inequality and aimed at improving the life and social skills
of adolescent girls and women.
Many of these donor programs are implemented through local organizations
specialized in implementing programs on economic and social inequalities including
the vulnerabilities of women and children. Adolescent girls programs are often
embedded within broader programs for young women, youth and children, where
these programs also extend their support to adolescent girls either as primary (direct)
beneficiaries or as part of a secondary objective; for instance, the UNICEF Child
Protection Program II, being implemented in the North Central & North East Nigeria
which supports ongoing efforts to protect children from violence, exploitation and
abuse; and also provides support to younger and middle adolescent girls. Some other
programs are issue specific, targeting particular sub-groups of girls; for instance
programs addressing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in young girls. Others target girls
more generallyprograms for orphaned children, or alongside adolescent boys; for
instance the Reproductive Right & Gender Equality Program funded by UNFPA which
uses a multi-pronged approach involving engagement of local communities, peers
including men and boys, governments, and Civil Society to address the restrictions that
impede progress towards gender equality and women's empowerment.
53
Donor funded programs for adolescent girls show a predilection for thematic
concentrations in Health, Education and Rights sectors. In particular, there seems to be
an inclination towards HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health and the promotion of girls
access to basic education. An analysis of the distribution of adolescent-specific
programs in the World Bank CAF report 2012, revealed that whereas 20 donor programs
had objectives for adolescent girls health, particularly in HIV/AIDS and Reproductive
Health, there were only 3 programs which addressed issues of girls economic
empowerment. Similarly whilst as many as 10 programs (70 percent of the total funded
programs in the education sector) included goals for advancing adolescent Girls basic
education, only 3 addressed issues of violence against girls or creating safer spaces for
girls. The observed predominance of HIV/AIDS and basic education programs in the
adolescent girls field may be due in part to insufficient prioritization of broad range and
balanced programing by government and donors or a reflection of the persistence of
traditional models of implementing global development assistance to developing
countries, which prioritizes HIV/AIDS and education programs for women and girls,
which are apparently more politically rewarding to operate and promote investments
in.
Domestic government-driven initiatives on adolescent girls rights and development are
limited both in terms of conceptualization of appropriate and effective interventions
and the capacity to implement or provide leadership. Whilst there are a host of
powerful international policy conventions and a fairly good national and sub-national
policy framework in place to galvanize a greater momentum in this arena, translating
policies to effective actions remains an overwhelming challenge for government
agencies involved in the adolescent girls field because of weak institutional capacity.
Indeed only a few adolescent girls programs are really being driven by government
per se and in most cases, it is the government that is being carried along by the
development community.
A key requirement for this study entailed identifying adolescent girls programs across
five key sectors namely: education; economic empowerment; health; girls voice; and
safety. Some completed projects and programs across these key sectors were included
in the mapping exercise given their relevance to the demands of this study. For one, this
study takes cognizance of the need to examine challenges and lessons learnt from
implementing adolescent girls programs and projects across these key sectors. Findings
from the sectoral mapping component of this study are presented below.
3.4.1 Education
In the education space, multilateral donors, bilateral donors, and international
foundations are active. Funding from these agencies is largely channelled through
54
implementing agencies, such as, international and local NGOs and CSOs. Key anchors
for donors programs and projects are positioned around the following areas:
enhancing universal basic education; need for qualitative education especially at the
primary and secondary level; primary school completion rates; reducing illiteracy,
particularly in rural communities and disadvantaged areas; safe school environments in
conflict-prone areas; and continuing professional development of teachers.
Based on results from the mapping exercise conducted, the North accounts for the
majority of donors interventions in the Nigerian education sector. This is understandable
given that this region considerably lags behind the national average on literacy and
other human development indicators, i.e. school enrolment rates (especially for the girl
child)45; literacy levels, academic performance etc. There are a number of major
programs being implemented by donors either individually or within a donor compact,
in the education sector. For instance the Partnership to Strengthen Innovation and
Practice in Secondary Education (PSIPSE) funded by a group of private donors and
foundations, including Central Square Foundation, ELMA Philanthropies, Human Dignity
Foundation, Intel Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
Marshall Family Foundation, MasterCard Foundation designed to accelerate innovation
in secondary education programming, research, and development in selected
developing countries including Nigeria.
In 2014, PSIPSE provided grant support to ActionAid International Foundation
Ltd ($520,000) to improve girls access to quality secondary education in Sokoto state,
Nigeria; Friends of the British Council ($510,000) to implement and test an in-school
model for work-based learning and teaching of 21st century skills in Lagos, Rivers and
Cross Rivers states in Nigeria; Plan International USA ($725,000) to expand the Better Life
Options and Opportunities Model, which delivers a curriculum on 21st century skills to
youth and enables community engagement in education and the South Saharan
Social Development Organization ($573,000) to harness the power of radio to improve
adolescents learning outcomes in Adamawa and Enugu states in Nigeria46. Similarly,
the Let Girls Learn initiative by USAID -designed to accelerate access to quality
education for all girls- is supporting a range of new programs to improve primary and
secondary education and safe learning in Nigeria. Other key programs include the
governments Universal Basic Education scheme (UBE) and a wide range of donor
supported initiatives (Table 4).
45
46
World Bank (2008): Only 60% of children receive primary education.
Further details on https://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/partnership-strengthen-innovation-and-practice-secondaryeducation-funds-new-projects
55
Table 4: List of major donor-funded education programs focused on Adolescent girls in Nigeria
Organization Project/Program
Location
(state)
USAID
Sokoto
Bauchi
DFID
UNICEF
Northern
Education
Initiative
Project
Duration
& 2010-2014
& Girls'
Education Bauchi,
2007-2011
Project (GEP)
Borno,
Jigawa,
Katsina, Niger
& Sokoto
Project/Program
Cost
$20mn (extension
consideration for
this project)
$25mn
DFID
Educating
Nigerian Girls in
New
Enterprises
(ENGINE)
Abuja,
2014-2018
Kaduna,
Kano,
and
Lagos State
GBP3,650,399
DFID
Education Sector
Support
Programme
in
Nigeria (ESSPIN)
Enugu,
2008-2016
Jigawa,
Kaduna,
Kano, Kwara,
and Lagos
N213mn
MacArthur
Foundation
LEARNigeria
Nationwide
2015-2017
$10mn
World Bank
Lagos
Eko Lagos State
Secondary
Education Project
2014-2019
$42mn
World Bank
State
Education Anambra,
Program
Bauchi, Ekiti,
Investment Project
(SEPIP)
2013-2017
$150mn
World Bank
Nigeria
Nationwide
Partnership
for
Education Project
(NPEP)
2015-2019
$100mn
These programs and projects address varying components of the different education
priorities identified earlier. For some of these donor programs, the government acts in a
56
partnering capacity through its different MDAs. For instance, the Universal Basic
Education Commission (UBEC) and the Federal Ministry of Education are the
government counterparts for the World Banks State Education Program Investment
Project (SEPIP) and the Nigeria Partnership for Education Project (NPEP). Despite this
program intervention structure, the government operates its own education programs.
For instance, the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme is the governments most
notable development intervention in the education to date. This nine-year program has
been extended by 2 years following its target completion date of 2013 to reflect the
UNs Sustainable Development Goals, which is an extension to the MDGs. The UBE
consists of hardware and software components. The hardware component of this
program addresses the following concerns: improving infrastructure in primary and
secondary schools across the 6 geopolitical regions; rehabilitation of existing schools;
supply of textbooks etc. The software component of the UBE scheme addresses the
following concerns: continuing professional development of teachers; improved
student welfare; education reform (i.e. curriculum reform at the primary and secondary
school level).
Although some notable achievements have been recorded from implementing these
programs, such as, improvement in enrolment rates, improvements in literacy levels,
and improved physical infrastructure in primary and secondary schools, there is still
significant room for improvement especially in the North.
Challenges and Lessons Learnt
Some of the challenges and lessons learnt from implementing education program
interventions are as follows:
Limited community participation: the success of development interventions in

any sector, including the education sector, relies on effective stakeholder
engagement particularly in target communities. In implementing the ESSPIN
project in Jigawa state, limited ownership of the project by community leaders
and representatives affected enrolment levels and attendance rates in primary
schools. To this end, ESSPIN staff is currently developing modalities for increased
engagement of community leaders, religious leaders, school-based
management committees, and local community organizations on the projects
development outcomes. This approach should generate the community buy-in
required to achieve and sustain set targets under each of the projects
component areas.
Culture and the enrolment levels of girls: the target enrolment rate for girls has
not been achieved especially in the Northern states where the project is being
57
implemented, i.e. Jigawa, Kaduna, and Kano. In many of the target rural
communities in these states, the culture of early marriages together with the low
awareness of parents on the importance of education- also affects enrolment
levels and attendance rates of girls in rural primary schools. Under the UBE
scheme, provision of free lunch is being explored as an incentive to enhance the
enrolment rate of children of primary school age in rural communities.
Operating environment: in addition to the prevailing security challenges in the
North, the national environment is challenging with few qualified teachers, poor
infrastructure and unpredictable state funding. For the World Banks SEPIP
project, unavailability of counterpart funding is cited as the main challenge to
effective project implementation. Again, the curriculum being applied at the
primary and secondary education level is inadequate with limited focus on basic
writing, reading, and arithmetic skills. This is an area that MacArthurs LEARNigeria
and Education/Skills program being implemented by LEAP Africa and the British
Council respectively- seeks to address especially at the secondary school level.
3.4.2 Economic Empowerment

Another program intervention that directly and indirectly affects adolescent girls in
Nigeria concerns the issue of social welfare or economic empowerment. Improved
economic empowerment is critical to achieving the gender agenda as set out in the
following policy instruments: MDG3; CEDAW; and the Dakar Declaration on Education
for All. Women, despite their contributions to the national economy, have gotten less
benefits of economic growth due to inequality. While statistics show that women
constitute 70% of rural communities47, where the general experience has been the lack
of social infrastructure and poor public service delivery, gender-based stereotypes and
discrimination that deny women equitable access to opportunities, resources and
services also abound.
Donors and government agencies have taken steps to address the inequitable
economic opportunities that women face. For instance, DFIDs Enhancing Nigerian
Advocacy for a Better Business Environment (ENABLE II) project is focused on promoting
a better business environment for the poor by improving consultation and dialogue on
business issues, especially at the rural level. One of the key components of this project is
womens economic empowerment. Under this component, the ENABLE team works
closely with the government to enact gender-sensitive reform in the business
environment. Economic empowerment of women is also being addressed through the
World Banks FADAMA III agricultural development project. This project mainstreams
gender in its activities. A component of this project involves the formation of Fadama
47
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) (2008) Gender disaggregation of rural communities across the six geopolitical regions.
58
User Groups (FUGs). Some of these FUGs are cooperatives consisting of only female
members that process cassava, produce shea butter cream, engage in animal
husbandry, and produce groundnut oil for sale to the local market.
The debate about the economic empowerment of women in Nigeria cannot be
conducted in isolation of the need for greater political empowerment of women. To this
end, international NGOs, such as OXFAM, implement programs designed to encourage
increased participation of women in the Nigerian political space. For instance, OXFAMs
Female Youth Participation in Governance program implemented before the just
concluded 2015 General Elections- creates awareness about the benefits and
possibilities which accompany women involvement in leadership roles in Nigeria. Some
of the challenges and lessons learnt from implementing women economic
empowerment programs are listed below.
Some of the challenges and lessons learnt from implementing adolescent girls programs
in Nigeria are as follows:
Availability of counterpart funding: limited government funding support for

women economic empowerment programs, especially at the state level, only
deepens inequitable economic opportunities for women in Nigeria. Many state
governments in Nigeria do not see women economic empowerment as a
development priority and as such, it receives limited attention in state budgets.
Information from the project implementation status report for the World Banks
Fadama project lists availability of counterpart funding as the major project
implementation challenge.
Gender-based stereotypes: gender-based stereotypes, such as the perception
of women as economic dependent groups and restricted property rights, limit
government attention towards the need for economic empowerment of
women. Programs that intervene in these areas are often met with resistance in
culturally rigid societies, especially in communities in the North East where
women are not known to own property. Projects, such as Mercy Corps
Adolescent Girls Entrepreneurship Program is changing such perceptions by
entrenching entrepreneurship and self-reliance skills among adolescent girls so
that they can be more productive members of their communities.
High levels of illiteracy: high levels of illiteracy among women in rural
communities make it challenging to achieve target outcomes of women
economic empowerment programs. One of the challenges identified in
implementing UNESCOs Empowerment Program for Nigerian Girls and Women
59
(EPNGW) borders on low levels of literacy among women, especially women in

rural communities in the North. To this end, the EPNGW team recommends basic
literacy as a critical component of women economic empowerment programs,
especially those being implemented in rural areas.
3.4.3 Health
The health sector receives considerable attention from donor agencies, international
NGOs, and the government (see Figure 3). Development interventions in the Nigerian
health sector are focused on the following areas: sexual and reproductive health; child
health; maternal and neo-natal health; health systems strengthening; malaria;
immunization; and HIV/AIDS, i.e. PMTCT. Interventions in these areas directly and
indirectly affect adolescent girls in Nigeria.
Of all the aforementioned program areas, sexual and reproductive health received the
most attention from donors. Sexual and reproductive health is at the core of global
health. If women and girls have access to the services and tools that support health
pregnancies and protect against unintended pregnancy, HIV, and other sexuallytransmitted infections, the benefits in terms of healthy women, young women, young
people, children, and communities are staggering. For instance, USAIDs Strengthening
HIV Prevention Services for Most-At-Risk Populations provides antiretroviral drugs and
services, as well as laboratory support for the diagnosis and monitoring of HIV-positive
patients.
In a recent dissemination workshop organized by DFID for the Partnership for
Transforming Health Systems (PATHS2) project, the head of DFID hinted at some of the
key achievements recorded from implementing this projects such as: improved public
service delivery in health facilities in Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna States; improved access
to reproductive health services; support for implementation of the National Strategic
Health Plan (NSHDP); and establishment of sustainable funding systems for health
facilities in target states. Yet other programs such as the Global Alliance for Improved
Nutrition (GAIN) focus on improving the health and nutrition of populations at risk by
catalyzing the scale up of home fortification of food with Micro Nutrient Powders (MNP)
for children ages 6 59months48. Also the DFID funded Working to Improving Nutrition in
Northern Nigeria (WINNN)-2011-2017. WINNN is designed to improve nutrition by
providing treatment of malnutrition, including community-based management of acute
malnutrition (CMAM), vitamin A supplementation and deworming, and promotion of
improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices; across five states (Kebbi,
Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Yobe) in northern Nigeria.
48
Further details on http://ccpnigeria.org/our-projects/other-projects/
60
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is another nutrition initiative being
implemented in Nigeria. GAIN emphasizes building an enabling environment for
nutrition and nutrition interventions in Nigeria, such as: providing technical support to
local manufacturers to ensure production of high-quality fortified foods that satisfy
nutritional needs; behavior change communication in states where the government
has shown financial commitment toward addressing malnutrition; and supporting the
government to put in place policy instruments that embrace a broader variety of onthe-ground nutrition interventions. GAINs large-scale food fortification program aims to
reach 110 million Nigerians and increase the national consumption of essential vitamins
and minerals through the fortification of staple foods. An in exhaustive list of some of the
major and ongoing donor funded health projects that have impact on Adolescent girls
is outlined in Table 5.
Table 5: List of major adolescent health focused donor programs/projects in Nigeria
Project/Program
Location
(state)
Project
Duration
Project
Commitment/Co
st
2009-2011
$225,000,000
Organization
USAID
AIDSTAR Prevention & FCT,

Benue,
Capacity
Building Rivers,
Services (ENCAP)
Bayelsa,
Ebonyi
USAID
Strengthening
Nationwide
Integrated Delivery of
HIV/AIDS
Services
(SIDHAS)
USAID
Strengthening
HIV
Prevention Services for
Most
At
Risk
Populations
Lagos,
Oyo, 2010-2016
Ondo,
Taraba,
Yobe,
Gombe,
Kano,
Niger,
Kogi,
Kwara,
Kaduna,
FCT,Abia, Imo,
Rivers,
$45.8mn
61
Bayelsa,
Delta,
Edo,
Sokoto
USAID
Targeted States High Bauchi,

Impact Project (TSHIP)
Sokoto
Yobe
2009-2015
$25mn
2012-2017
$5mn
and
USAID
Strengthening Private
Sector
Family
Planning/Reproductive
Health (SPS-FP/RH)
Lagos,
Edo,
Kano,
Kaduna,
Abia
and
Nassarawa
USAID
Expanded
Social Nationwide
Marketing Project in
Nigeria (ESMPIN)
2011-2016
$56mn
DFID
PATHS II-Partnership for Kano, Jigawa, 2011-2016

Transforming
Health Kaduna,
Systems
Enugu
and
Lagos
$50mn
DFID
Support
to
the Nationwide
National
Malaria
Programme
(SUNMAP)- Extension
GBP39mn
DFID
HIV/AIDS Support
Northern
Nigeria
2013-2016
GBP2mn
2013-2016
DFID
Women 4 Health
Kano, Katsina,
Jigawa, Yobe
& Zamfara
2012-2015
GBP0.7mn
EU
Immunisation
Governance
Nigeria(EU-SIGN)
Nationwide
E55mn
in
2010-2014
62
EU
Scale-up of Maternal Northern

and Newborn Health Nigeria
Outcomes
E33mn
2013-2016
EU
Promoting sexual and Adamawa,

reproductive
health Yobe, Bauchi,
and rights.
Katsina
2009-2013
E32mn
EU
Reducing the burden Kebbi

of
vaccine
preventable diseases
(VPDs)
E32.8mn
World Bank
World Bank
World Bank
Saving One
Lives (SOML)
Million Nationwide
$500mn
2015-2019
Polio
Eradication Nationwide
Support Project
Nigeria State Health Nationwide
Investment
Project
(NSHIP II)
World Health Child &

Organization Health
(WHO)
Program
$95mn
2012-2017
$150mn
2012-2018
Adolescent Nationwide
Support
Reproductive
services
Bill
& Maternal
&
Melinda
Health Project
Gates
Foundation
UNFPA
2006-2010
health Nationwide
2013-2016
Child North
Nigeria
East
2012-2015
Adult
Sexual
& Northern
Reproductive Health
Nigeria
Adolescent Sexual & Northern
Reproductive Health
Nigeria
US$15mn
US$800,000
2014-2016
$1,000,000
63
Improving Care of North

Newborns
and Nigeria
Pregnant Women
CIDA/DFATD
UNICEF
East
US$1,500,000
Integrating
and Benue,
FCT,
Scaling Up Prevention Nassarawa,
of
Mother-to-Child and Kaduna
Transmission of HIV
(INSPIRE)
2011-2015
Health
&
Program II
$20,000,000
Nutrition Nationwide
2009-2011

Some of the challenges and lessons from implementing health programs in Nigeria are
as follows:
Inadequate funding: inadequate funding for health programs especially at the

state and local government level- hamper the governments efforts at meeting
global health targets, especially in the areas of maternal and neonatal health;
sexual and reproductive health; and malaria. For instance, the World Bank cited
limited availability of counterpart funding as the main challenge to effective
implementation of its Nigeria State Health Investment Project (NSHIP II).
Cultural norms and values: there are communities in Nigeria especially in
Northern Nigeria- that show resistance to family planning programs. Programs of
this nature are perceived as culturally intrusive, especially in areas where early
marriage and polygamy are the norm. The World Bank project team cites
cultural norms and practices as a limitation to the achievement of target
outcomes under the population and child health component of the NSHIP
project. Sponsored enlightenment campaigns, targeted advocacy, and
purposeful engagement with community leaders and community-based
organizations are being used to change perceptions regarding family planning
and the reproductive health of women in such communities.
Security challenges: results from the mapping exercise done indicate that North
accounts for majority of health development intervention programs in Nigeria.
Pockets of conflict in the North affects field-based program implementation
activities. The WHO cites security concerns as the main challenge to the
implementation of routine immunization programs in the North. The widespread
64
view that immunization against diseases, such as Polio, is a Western agenda also
deepens program implementation challenges. The WHO addresses security
challenges to its routine immunization program by engaging third party service
providers and community-based organizations.
Capacity building: insufficient clinical staff and limited know-how among
healthcare workers also hampers effective implementation of health programs in
Nigeria. This problem hampers effective delivery of maternal and reproductive
healthcare programs in Nigeria. To address this problem, training of healthcare
workers is a critical component of the Bill & Mellinda Gates Foundations
Maternal & Child Health Project.
3.4.4 Girls Voice

Girls voice programs basically create the enabling environment for gender equality in
Nigeria. Such programs are designed to change some of the more entrenched formal
and informal barriers that prevent girls and young women from actualizing their
potential. In the girls voice arena, a number of projects and programs are being
implemented by donor agencies and the government. One of the notable girls voice
programs being implemented in Nigeria is DFIDs Voices4Change program. This
program tackles the underlying causes of gender inequality by working towards the
following: improving the life and social skills of adolescent girls and women; developing
a community of people with improved knowledge and attitudes that challenge gender
discrimination; improving attitudes towards women among key influencers; and
achieving greater inclusion of gender issues in political and governance processes.
Another girls voice program is UNFPAs Reproductive Right and Gender Equality
program. This program focuses on protecting the freedom of people and couples to
make autonomous, informed decisions about sexuality and reproduction and to enjoy
their sexual and reproductive health, free from discrimination, coercion and violence.
The Nigerian government has also made efforts to enhance gender equality in Nigeria.
One of such measures is the previous administrations affirmative action for women
through increased appointment of women into political positions in Nigeria. The Federal
Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development, in collaboration with the Federal
Ministry of Finance, is currently implementing a gender mainstreaming and gender
responsive budgeting initiative, which seeks to entrench gender programming in
budget preparation and implementation at the federal and state levels of government.
The importance of mainstreaming gender programming in the national budget
preparation cannot be overemphasized given its far-reaching implications for women
economic empowerment in Nigeria.
65
Compared to the other sectors mapped in this study, the girls voice sector recorded
the least program interventions in terms of scope and size over the past 5 years. This is
because issues concerning adolescent girls are largely addressed through the lens of
education and health. While this is understandable given Nigerias poor performance in
key human development indicators, investment in girls voice programs play their part
in achieving gender equality in Nigeria.
Limited engagement of target beneficiaries: limited involvement of adolescent

girls in the program design phase limited the scope of impact of the voices4
change program. This because of the unique cultural context of gender equality
across the six geopolitical regions of Nigeria. Furthermore, political will at the
federal, state and local government levels is needed to give adolescent girls a
significant say in environmental issues that affect their circumstance. Broadbased stakeholder engagement is needed to drive progress in the achievement
of outcomes for girls voice programs. Implementation of girls voice programs
should involve teaching girls general communication and relationship skills,
coupled with encouragement to focus on school, vocational and life goals. This
approach translates into healthy sexual behaviour and as such, improved public
health outcomes.
Ubiquitous curriculum in primary and secondary schools: lack of gender
mainstreaming in the education curriculum of primary and secondary schools
limits the capacity of Nigeria to achieve the gender agenda as stipulated in
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the child. Successful
implementation of girls voice programs is dependent on linking gender-based
teaching targeted at boys and girls- in the education curriculum of secondary
schools. This approach contributes to changing boys perceptions of girls and as
such, is a step in the right direction as it concerns gender equality in Nigeria.
3.4.5 Safety
Violence against women is a serious problem in Nigeria. It comes in several forms such
as, physical, emotional, and mental. Common forms of violence against women in
Nigeria are rape, molestation, battering, and corporal punishment, among others. The
cultural environment in Nigeria does little to discourage violence against women. In a
culture where women are seen as the property of a man, especially when her dowry
has been paid, it is not uncommon to see a man hitting a woman as a form of
punishment. In 2013, The CLEEN Foundation National Crime Victimization Survey
reported that 1 in every 3 respondents admitted to being a victim of domestic violence.
66
Results from the same survey found a nationwide increase in domestic violence in the
past three years from 21 percent in 2011 to 30 percent in 2013.49
There are number of programs being implemented in Nigeria to discourage violence
against women. DFIDs Justice4All program is one of such programs. This program
encourages improved human rights and access to justice for the poor and
disadvantaged members of society, especially women and children. Another of such
program is UN Womens Orange Street Non-Violence Against Women program, which
supports initiatives aimed at preventing violence against women and protecting the
rights of the girl child.
These programs are aligned to the requirements of international policy frameworks,
such as, the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against Women. At
the national level, steps are being taken to address this issue, especially through
legislation. In 2014, the National Assembly passed the Violence against Persons Bill
which provides stiffer punishments for sexual violence and also supports measures, such
as restraining order to prevent the continuation of abuse. In spite of this positive
development, there are still areas of legislation that demand attention such as the
penal code in the Northern States that permit the correction of child, pupil, servant or
wife as long as it does amount to grievous harm. Certain individuals have exploited
legal loopholes to perpetrate violence against women and children. Inadequate
national legislation contributes to the growing cases of violence against women in
Nigeria.
Challenges & Lessons Learnt
49
Inadequate legislation: at the national level, legislation prohibiting violence

against women is limited. Under existing penal codes at the state level, the
permission to hit as a corrective action against women and children is being
exploited by people, especially men, to perpetrate grievous harm against
women. Furthermore, existing national legislation, such as the recently passed
Violence Against Persons Bill, fails to consider insidious forms of abuse such as
mental and emotional abuse. In the absence of comprehensive and coherent
legislation, safety programs targeted at women and children will do little to
reduce the growing rate of violence against women. Consequently, safety
programs should include a policy advocacy component that seeks to
strengthen existing legislation dealing with violence against women and children.
Weak enforcement of laws: a worrying dimension to the problem of violence
against women is the low appetite among security agencies for processing
Cleen Foundations National Crime Survey is being funded by the Ford Foundation.
67
cases of domestic violence. The Nigeria Police Force has a poor track record
when it comes to properly investigating and addressing cases of domestic
violence, especially as it pertains to women and children. This problem is being
addressed through Ford Foundations Gender-based Violence & Improving
Police Accountability program. A critical component of this particular program
involves training of police officers on how to investigate cases of domestic
violence and other forms of violence against women and children.
3.5 Geographical Scope of Adolescent Girls Programs in Nigeria

Donor presence in the adolescent girls field in the country as measured by donor
program coverage and reach is lopsided. There are multiple, parallel programs, being
implemented across several sectors nationally and sub-nationally, but most of these
programs only operate a limited range of services for girls within a relatively small
geographical reach. An examination of the CAF report showed that most donor
funded programs for adolescent girls are focused in the northern parts of the country
North Central, North East and North West, except for JICA whose programs are
implemented in the South-South and South East.50 Most donors implement different
development interventions in a number of states across the six geopolitical regions. The
lowest volume of programs is in the south-east, while the North East had the highest
concentration of programs. This picture strongly corroborated by anecdotal evidence
from interviews with experts. The reasons for the predilection of donor programs in the
north are not far-fetched.
The pervading culture in Northern Nigeria is profoundly patriarchal owing to the wide
spread practice of Islam and acceptance of Sharia Law. The application of Sharia law
has been associated with serious constrictions on womens and girls access to basic
rights and services, particularly their voices and participation in decision making.
Furthermore the region consistently ranks highest in terms of poverty and lowest in terms
of socio-economic growth and development, coupled with some of the worst health
and education indicators in the country. These have had an osmotic pull on
development assistance into the regiona situation now further complicated by the
protracted Boko Haram insurgency and abduction of over 200 young school girls in the
North East of the country.
3.5.1 Coordination Mechanisms for Adolescent Girls Programs in Nigeria
In terms of co-ordinating aid, the government takes the overarching lead at both
federal and state levels. At the federal level the National Planning Commission co50
Information is based on the Country Assistance Framework (CAF) annual report.
68
ordinates all bilateral and multilateral agreements on behalf of the federal government,
including sectoral grants agreements while the Ministry of Finance co-ordinates credit.
Ideally, the institutional framework for program coordination in the adolescent girls field
is embedded in the framework for the governance and coordination of gender in
Nigeriaat least in principle; as elaborated by the National Gender Policy (2006). The
Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (FMWASD), by virtue of its
schedule of functions which includes amongst others, the responsibility for women and
women rights, gender equality, children and adolescents development (individuals
below 18 years); has the overall mandate to lead and coordinate the multisectoral
efforts in this arena.
FMWASD has an established National Gender Management System, for managing and
implementing the National Gender Policy. GMS is a multi-layered, multisectoral
coordination mechanism consisting of the following instruments with corresponding
structures at the sub-national level: representatives from the National and State
Executive Councils; the National Council on Women Affairs; the National/States Gender
Policy Technical Coordinating Committee; Gender Units within Sector Ministries; and
Senate/House Committee on Women Affairs and Development Group on Gender. The
Development Group on Gender (DPG), on the other hand, consists of the following
partners: representatives of select national womens human rights organizations in the 6
geo political zones; gender experts from bilateral donor agencies and multilateral
institutions; and foundations operating in the country. The DPG is primarily the platform
for donor coordination on gender issues.
The coordination mechanism for adolescent girls program cab be best described as
fragmented and largely ad-hoc, consisting of multiple and often parallel acting
sectoral working groups. These also act as information sharing platforms, where critical
actors, interact, share and compare information on programs and initiatives within
sectors. There are several, including;
The National Technical Working Group on Adolescent Health & Development,

which meets biannually
Health Partners Coordination Committee (HPCC)
The National Partnership for Maternal, New born Health
The Federal Ministry of Healths National Adolescent Health Working Group
The Minister of Healths Technical Advisory Committee on Adolescent and Young
Peoples Health and Development
The National Agency for Control of AIDS technical working group on HIV
Prevention and Child Health
69
National Reproductive Health Working Group

The Development Partners Group on Health
Most of these ad-hoc groups outlined afore operate in the health sector, although,
similar structures operate within the other key sectors. The multiplicity and fragmentation
of coordination efforts in this arena has led to ineffective alignment of multisectoral
efforts often leading to conflict of interests owing to duplication of efforts.
70
Chapter 4: Discussion
Adolescent girls programing in Nigeria is complex and multifarious, involving a wide
array of donors providing differing kinds assistances across a number of sectors, both at
national and sub-national levels. The climate is also fairly enabling, with a plethora of
policies and strategic frameworks which set out the destination for the adolescent girls
program in the country, albeit through multiple routes which has resulted in the
fragmentation of investments and lopsided efforts. Nonetheless, the adolescent girls
field has witnessed considerable progress in recent times. This study has made some
critical observations on the architecture, climate and priorities of the key actors in the
adolescent girls field and raises key issues including some emerging opportunities that
lie on the horizon, which will hopefully influence how GEN engages in the investment
agenda for adolescent girls in the country.
4.1 Policy Context

Nigeria has a favorable environment for achieving greater momentum and investments
in the adolescent girls field. There are many sound policies and legislations including
the Child Rights Act and National Gender Policy, to provide strategic direction for
programing and investments; however development assistance in this area remains
insufficient for meeting national priorities and achieving global goals. A key challenge is
the fragmented policy environment, characterized by multiple sector policies, which
are not implemented in synergy; resulting to duplication of investments, multiple
accountabilities, and wastage of resources. Furthermore, because donor investments
are patchy and sectoral, with frequent overlaps there is over concentration of efforts in
particular themes and sectors like reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and basic education
much to the detriment of other equally important themes like girls economic
empowerment, rights and participation as well as safety. This lopsided investment and
programing situation has resulted to missed opportunities for providing a
comprehensive range of services to meet the many unmet needs of adolescent girls in
the country.
It is exigent for government to develop a compact policy framework specific and
exclusive for adolescent girls, which streamlines sectoral priorities and efforts into one
national policy framework, accompanied by a clear investment, implementation and
coordination strategy. For this to happen, development partners need to do more to
support government to harmonize its multisectoral priorities into one national
adolescent girls investment framework, with one action plan and one monitoring and
coordination mechanism. A good start point could be to conduct a national
71
investment case study for adolescent girls taking into cognizance the geo-political and
socio-economic variations at the sub-national level to better understand the policy and
investment bottlenecks and outline a set of cost-evaluated medium and long term
goals, including mechanisms for coordinating resource and program synergy across all
sectors. Simultaneously, government needs to expediently align with the UN and adapt
the CRC specifically for adolescent girls as contained in the declaration of the rights
of the child in its 33rd session in 200351. This will help to delineate the program priorities
and investments needed to achieve national and global goals, moreover it will
establish a clear accountability framework to which multisectoral efforts will align and
upon which programs and investments will be more strategically monitored. This is a
critical area of potential engagement for GHN in the area of policy advocacy.
4.2 Key Actors and Institutions: Donors and Government

There are a number of donors and government institutions directly and indirectly
involved in the adolescent girls field. However because of the absence of a functional
information management system in this arena, data is insufficient to conduct a
comprehensive profiling. In terms of positioning, resources and influence, the available
information revealed that the multilateral and bilateral donors wield a considerable
amount of influence in the adolescent girls arena, owing to the weight of their financial
and technical commitments in the country. As the multilateral group contributes over
60 percent of the funding for development assistance to the country, this group exerts
enormous influence and financial power in the development arena and has the
capacity to drive a greater policy momentum for adolescent girls in the national
development agenda. The CAF report suggests that the World Bank alone, contributes
over 40 percent of the total development assistance to the country, which makes it the
biggest donor overall and an incredibly powerful ally.
Whilst the multilateral group exert much of their impact upstreamsupporting broad
based national or macro-economic policies; much of the downstream efforts and
investmentsfor instance, supporting the development and implementation of relevant
national and subnational strategic actions through local organizations including the
promoting policy adoption and implementation at the LGA level; are largely driven by
the bilateral donors particularly USAID, EU/EC and DFID. Therefore the bilateral groups
provide considerable leadership and influence in the adolescent girls field and have
the capacity to build alliances to sustain the domestic momentum for adolescent girls
programing owing to their immense influence on Civil Society Groups. Furthermore,
51
The declaration of the Committee on the Rights of the child, 33rd session; June 2003,
72
bilateral donors are very close to sub-national policy and decision making apparatuses
and so are critical allies for driving a sub-national agenda for adolescent girls.
The foundations are growing in influence in the adolescent girls arena, owing to their
funding flexibilitya considerable part of their funding is untied to bilateral cooperation
agreements. Besides, the Aid spend of foundations is becoming formidable almost
paralleling bilateral investments, even sometimes surpassing. Furthermore, because
foundations historically invest significantly in research and generation of evidence for
practice, they are good partners for advancing innovative solutions for improving
policy implementation and program impact for adolescent girls.
Only a relatively few MDAs at national or sub-national level are currently actively driving
the agenda for adolescent girlsFMOH, FME and FMWASD and Office of the Senior
Special Assistant to the president of MDGs (OSSAP-MDGs) owing to limited capacity.
Other MDAs are involved in an ad-hoc manner through specific departments and
parastatals including NAPTIP, SMEDAN, NDE and EDP; as well as the Federal Ministry of
Science and Technology and Federal Ministry of Youth Development. Their primary
activities cover a more general scope, so programing for adolescent girls is merely an
incidental secondary objective, often tied to availability of donor funding. As there is a
lack of a specific national policy framework for adolescent girls to guide multi-sectoral
participation or clearly define political authorities between MDAs, institutional
leadership and accountability is fragmented across the sectors, resulting to ineffective
programing and weak public sector commitment in the adolescent girls field. Going
by the appointed schedule of functions for MDAs, FMWASD holds the exclusive
mandate for galvanizing multi-sectoral participation in the adolescent girls field, one
which is increasingly obscured by the predominance of donor investments in the health
and education sectors. This needs to be addressed expediently.
4.3 Programming Context

The dearth of relevant and reliable data on the current spectrum and scale of
programs which specifically address the issues of adolescent girls, limits the extent to
which it is possible to profile donor programing. The plethora of parallel actors in the
adolescent girls field suggests that programming is largely ad hoc, patchy and
uncoordinated. A key observation of this study is that programming for adolescent girls
is evolving and maturing towards integration, as donors increasingly invest in multisectoral initiatives. Many donors particularly the multilateral agencies are promoting a
shift from issue based investments to supporting rights based actions which address a
range of interrelated and mutually reinforcing issues, using multi-pronged approaches.
Therefore, inter-agency frameworks for integration developed by multi-sectoral
73
technical working groups are gradually obliterating sector specific task team driven
implementation. Despite this, there is still considerable sector concentration of donor
investments in the adolescent girls field, as the focus of many development assistance
remains profoundly issue/program inclined as opposed to a sector wide support. For
instance, there are more programs in health and education compared to human rights
and economic empowerment for adolescent girls. Even in the same sector, there is a
higher predilection of donor support for certain themes to the detriment of others; for
instance in the education sector, whilst there is an incredible attention for basic
education for adolescent girls, other aspects that address girls transition to adulthood
such as Vocational education and post basic education attract far less donor or
government attention. The challenge here is that over concentration of programs in
certain sectors and themes pigeonholes the response, increasing the likelihood of
missing opportunities for providing a broad range of the much needed services,
required to address the many un-met needs of adolescent girls.
Many of the key informants interviewed during the course of this study agree that
adolescent girls programing lags behind considerably with respect to national and
global gender-based targets. Particularly, government ability to design and implement
appropriate home-grown programs to impact meaningfully on adolescent girls is weak
owing to weak institutional capacity for leadership, governance and coordination and
poor ownership. Anecdotal evidence from key informants, revealed that governments
homegrown initiatives in the adolescent girls field are poorly funded in the annual
sectoral budgets and therefore still largely dependent on donor support. The
implication is that adolescent girls program sustainability in Nigeria, in the face of
deflating Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), is shredded in uncertainty and this
should be a critical concern for all stakeholders.
4.4 Geographical Coverage

All the donors, except for Ford Foundation (in Lagos), are based in Abuja, the Federal
Capital Territorywhich is strategic as all the key MDAs are also based in Abuja. Most
donor programs oscillate from the central base in Abuja but also maintain smaller subnational presence in the form of project coordination offices. In terms of
implementation scope and scale, there was insufficient data to explicitly profile the
coverage of donor and government programs, however, what is clear is that most
adolescent girls programs are focused in the north and for justifiable reasons too;
nonetheless, any issue that threatens the advancement of girls is critical and requires
concerted responses. There is still need to provide an even and balanced programing
74
for girls across the country instead of the shifting implementation currently being
practiced.
4.5 Coordination and Collaboration

Institutional coordination in the adolescent girls field is plagued by several challenges
including the lack of streamlined structures, processes and mechanisms to facilitate
resource leveraging, information sharing and partnership building (see 3.5.1). One key
challenge observed by the study is weak institutional motivation and leadership
coupled with poor policy clarity on the appropriate institutional mandate for
coordinating between MDAs and between government and donors. Development
programs targeted at adolescent girls tend to be considered under gendermainstreaming activities. Misconceptions about gender by policy makers, charged with
the responsibility for policy articulation and execution continues to challenge the
attainment of gender equality and womens empowerment goals in Nigeria. There is still
evidence that gender education has not permeated all levels of the populace thus the
impression that gender issues are exclusively about women still persists. Similarly, the
impression that gender issues negatively challenges accepted norms and values of
marriage, family and religion is rife. Many stakeholders believe that gender concerns
should be addressed only within the Ministry of Womens Affairs and Social
Development.
4.5.1 Coordination of Adolescent Girls Programs
Besides the National Gender Policy, the government does not have policies specifically
targeting adolescent girls in Nigeria. From the government end, adolescent girls
programs and policies are considered under the broad gender mainstreaming
strategies of the government. Consequently, organizations pursuing adolescent girls
programs should leverage on the National Gender Policy to partner with the
government to direct added attention at the adolescent girls issues in Nigeria. At the
federal level, the FMWASD is the government counterpart for the gender
mainstreaming programs in Nigeria. The FMWASD sets national policy goals and targets
as well as formulating specific policies on gender equality and women empowerment.
The FMWASD through its National Centre for Women Development & Gender Equality
Department- also liaises with the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to make overarching
pronouncements on gender equality and women empowerment. This also entails
coordinating with line ministries particularly FME & FMoH- to implement gender
75
education policies and programs at all levels. This collaboration creates the critical
mass required to address issues facing women in Nigeria.
At the state level, the FMWASD liaises with the state ministries of women affairs and
youth development, to institutionalize requirements of the National Gender Policy.
States are allowed to develop their gender mainstreaming programs as long as they
are in compliance with the dictates or expectations of the National Gender Policy.
States also rely on technical assistance from development agencies UNDP, UNICEF, UN
Women- to develop and implement meaningful gender equality programs.
On the donor end, gender-related programs are coordinated through the instrument of
the CAF. The Development Partners Group on Gender (DPGG) is one of the thematic
groups created under the CAF52. The CAF was launched in 2012 following the Paris
Agenda. This instrument seeks to coordinate the activities of development partners in
different sectors with a view to reducing duplicity in program development and
implementation. The DPGG provides the platform for donor coordination on gender
equality programs. The chair and co-chair of the DPGG are UN Women and UNICEF
respectively. The other members of the group are: CIDA, DFID, JICA/Embassy of Japan,
and USAID. The FMWASD is the government counterpart for the group. The group meets
on a monthly basis to discuss current and emerging issues impacting women in Nigeria.
The group sets guidelines used by its members- for developing and implementing
adolescent girls programs in Nigeria. UN Women is the appointed focal point for
gender mainstreaming programs in Nigeria. In this capacity, UN Women provides
advice and assistance on issues related to promoting gender equality and advancing
the status of women and girls in Nigeria. Membership of the group is open to
development organizations actively involved in gender programming. The group
currently coordinates targeted support to women affected by the insurgency in the
North East.
The DPGG also organizes quarterly meetings with the National Stakeholders Committee
on Gender Equality (NSCGE) to evaluate progress in implementing the National
Gender Policy. The NSCGE consists of the Federal Ministry of Healths National
Adolescent Health Working Group and the Technical Advisory Committee on
Adolescent & Young Peoples Health and Development. Overall, the DPGG is the only
platform for coordination between donor agencies and the government on genderrelated programs in Nigeria.
52
Each CAF thematic group consists of development partners and a government counterpart.
76
Chapter 5: Key Recommendations and Conclusions

5.1 Key recommendations for Girl Hub Nigeria
Based on the observations of this study, the following are recommended as critical
opportunities for GEN to increase its influence and impact in the adolescent girls field in
Nigeria. It is the view of the research team that greater sustainability and more
meaningful impact will require concerted focus on upstream issues including national
policy and systems strengthening. Also a subtle inclination of GENs current efforts
towards integrating some aspects of social protection while exploring opportunities for
enhancing supply side programing (service delivery) may be exigent. Some broad
recommendations are presented below5.1.1 Enhancing the climate for greater and more effective programing
Support the development of an overarching national Integrated adolescent Girls
policy framework, including a harmonized national multisectoral strategic action plan
The aim of this policy is to integrate all existing parallel investments, initiatives and efforts
across all sectorspublic and private into one compact and overarching national
framework. This framework will clarify institutional mandates, roles and responsibilities, as
well as lay out contextual priorities and options for adolescent girls programing across
the country including suitable interventions in different sub-national contexts, clarify and
promote a harmonized and empowered national coordination system, including a
National Girls Observatory.
5.1.2 Increasing and sustaining political commitments to the advancement of
adolescent girls rights and development
High-level Advocacy and mobilization to support the expedient domestication and
pro-active implementation of enabling legislations for the advancement of adolescent
girls rights
Since the passage of the Child Rights Act, 12 states including two of the focal states of
GENKano and Kaduna have yet to pass the Act into law; indeed most of the corenorthern states. This effort will focus on implementing a robust and rigorous collaborative
advocacy strategy to pressure governments, federal and state legislatures and policy
makers to create, adopt and implement appropriate legislations and political
commitments in line with national and global agreements in the adolescent girls
arena. Furthermore, although the Child Rights Act has been passed into law, there are
clauses within the law which still negate the impact of the Act on the advancement of
the rights and development of adolescent girls. For instance the Second Schedule, Part
77
1, Item 61 of the constitution, known as Exclusive Legislative List, still restricts the powers
of the legislature from interfering in marriages contracted under Islamic or Customary
Law. These are areas that development partners including GEN can engage for
redrafting or amendment in order to fully guarantee the protection of the rights of
adolescent girls in the country.
5.1.3 Explore investment in supply side programming
Expanding and enhancing access to appropriate and exclusive services for adolescent
girls
There is a significant attention on demand side programing in Nigeria, which has not
come with commensurate focus on improving service delivery for girls. Investment in the
provision of exclusive services or at best strengthening the integration of services
focused on adolescent girls into existing delivery structures, which often are not
accessible to adolescent girls is imperative. Services could cover a range including
Education, health, social protection, economic empowerment and rights; for instance
targeted scholarships, school counselling, community libraries, school based health
services, school and community protection services and legal aid, rehabilitation,
counselling-recreational facilities and skill development initiatives. In the health arenatargeted reproductive health clinics and services for adolescent girls, social marketing
products delivery, Family planning and ANC for married Adolescents, and HIV/AIDS and
STI treatment services. Supply side programming is critical for adolescent girls
particularly those with special needs and can enhance the sustainability and
effectiveness of overall program delivery.
5.1.4 Strengthening institutional systems for leadership, governance and coordination at
federal and states levels
Developing the capacity for planning, management and coordination of MDAs at the
federal and state levels.
The adolescent girls field is perhaps limited the most by the weakness in government
institutions to proactively lead efforts in this arena. For greater effectiveness, meaningful
and more sustainable impact on the lives of adolescent girls, mechanisms for planning,
leadership including accountability and transparency as well as coordination need to
be optimally functional. The leadership role of FMWASD and the State counterparts will
require further strengthening, through institutional and human capacity development
particularly in areas like policy analysis, program planning, monitoring and evaluation,
research and communication, information management, networking and partnership
building. On the donor end, the DPGG is responsible for coordinating program
interventions in the adolescent girls space in Nigeria. Membership of the DPGG is open
to organizations actively involved in gender programming.
78
5.2 Projects/programs having the most impact on adolescent girls

In this section, attention is devoted to identifying the projects having the most impact
on adolescent girls in the five sectors understudied. The programs identified showcase
areas where GEN can scale up its existing interventions in the adolescent girls space in
Nigeria. This section also identifies structures that can be exploited by GEN to design
and implement programs that positive change the circumstance of adolescent girls in
Nigeria.
Table 6: Sectoral programs Impacting Adolescent Girls in Nigeria
Organization
Project
Intervention area
Geographical
Location
Northern
Education
Initiative
Girls Education project
Improving education opportunities

for vulnerable children
Raising awareness on girl child
education
Improving
school-level
management and encouraging
need-based teacher development
Improving the employability skills of
Nigerian students at the secondary
school level.
Sokoto & Bauchi
Women economic empowerment

through gender-sensitive reforms.
Nationwide
Functional literacy and basic ICT

skills
Developing entrepreneurial skills and
enhancing literacy levels among
rural women.
Developing the financial education
and life skills among adolescent girls
Nationwide
Strengthening
HIV
prevention services for
Most-at-Risk populations
HIV counseling and testing services
USAID
Targeted
States
High
Impact Project (TSHIP)
DFID
HIV/AIDS Support
Increasing the use of high-impact

integrated maternal, newborn, and
child
health
and
family
planning/reproductive
health
interventions
Increased
advocacy
on
HIV
Lagos,
Taraba,
Kano,
Kwara,
Abia,
Bayelsa,
Sokoto
Bauchi,
Yobe
Education
USAID
DFID & UNICEF
World Bank
State Education Program

Investment Project
British Council
Education & Skills Program
Economic Empowerment
DFID
Enhancing
Nigerian
Advocacy for a Better
Business
Environment
(ENABLE II)
UNESCO
Empowerment Program for
Nigerian Girls and Women
AFDB
Skills
and
Functional
Literacy Program
DFID
Health
USAID
Empowering Nigerian Girls

in New Enterprises (ENGINE)
Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa,

Katsina, Niger & Sokoto
Anambra, Bauchi, Ekiti
Cross
River,
Lagos State
Rivers,
Northern Nigeria
Northern Nigeria
Oyo,
Ondo,
Yobe, Gombe,
Niger,
Kogi,
Kaduna, FCT,
Imo,
Rivers,
Delta, Edo,
Sokoto,
and
Northern Nigeria
79
DFID
Women4Health
EU
Promoting
sexual
and
reproductive health rights
Girls Voice
DFID
Voices4Change
UNFPA
Reproductive
right
&
gender equality program
DFATD
Promoting
youth
employment
and
entrepreneurship in Nigeria
Promoting & protecting
womens rights
OXFAM
OXFAM
IPAs
Safety
DFID
UN Women
Ford Foundation
UNICEF
Sexual reproductive health

and
right
education
among young people
Gender,
sexuality
&
reproductive justice
Justice4All
Orange
Street
NonViolence against women
program
Gender-based violence &
improving
Police
accountability
FGN-UNICEF
Child
Protection Program II
UNOCHA
Support
to
Internallydisplaced persons (IDPs)
UNFPA & the High
Support
to
victims
of
prevention targeted at high-risk

groups
Addressing shortage of female
health workers in North East Nigeria
Guarantee the rights of women and
adolescent
girls
to
adequate
reproductive health.
Kano, Katsina, Jigawa,

Yobe & Zamfara
Adamawa,
Yobe,
Bauchi, Katsina
Changing attitudes of men to

women; reducing gender inequality
by improving the life and social skills
of adolescent girls and women;
more inclusion of gender issues in
political and governance processes.
Promoting
healthy
behaviours
among young people through
improved access to sexual and
reproductive education.
Enhancing
the
entrepreneurial
capacities of youths
Kano, Kaduna, Gombe,

Niger, & FCT
Enhancing leadership skills and

political participation among young
women; general advocacy on
womens rights
Gender and reproductive health
rights
Abia and Osun
Building the capacity of NGOs and

to engage youth to develop
strategic approaches to improving
access
to
safe
reproductive
healthcare in Nigeria.
Improving
human
rights
and
increasing access to justice for the
poor and disadvantaged members
of society, especially women and
children.
Protecting the rights of the girl child
and creating awareness about
gender-based violence in Nigeria
Building the capacity of the Nigeria
Police
Force
(NPF)to
address
gender-based violence
Protecting children from violence,
exploitation and abuse. Protecting
the rights of women and children in
IDP camps is a key component of
this program.
Providing humanitarian relief to
people displaced by the North East
conflict
Provision of psychological support
Nationwide
Cross River
Adamawa,
Kwara,
Gombe, Kano, Katsina,
Imo, and Ekiti
Northern Nigeria
Lagos, Kano, Kaduna,

Enugu, FCT and Jigawa
Lagos State
Nationwide
North Central and North

East Nigeria
North East Nigeria
North East Nigeria
80
Commission
Japan
of
insurgency in Nigeria
National
Emergency
Management
Agency (NEMA)
Committee
on
Victim
Support
Fund
Special Support to IDPs
Office
of
the
National Security
Adviser (ONSA)
Presidential Initiative for the

North East
Victims Support Fund
and sexual and reproductive health

services to victims of insurgency in
North East Nigeria
Resettlement of IDPs; provision of
public amenities in IDP camps; and
supporting
efforts
to
provide
education to children in IDP camps
Supporting
local
and
INGOs
involved in providing health and
education interventions to groups
displaced by the conflict in the
North East
Rehabilitation
of
victims
and
reconstruction of public amenities.
North East Nigeria
North East Nigeria
North East Nigeria
Table 7: Collaborative Structures for Girl Effect Nigeria

s/n
Instrument
Coordination Mechanism
Notes
1.
Development
Partners
Group on Gender (DPGG)
The DPGG is one of the thematic or

donor working groups under the
CAF. Membership of this group is
open to organizations actively
involved in gender programming.
The chair and co-chair of the
group are as follows: UN Women &
UNICEF
2.
Victims Support Fund
This fund is being managed by the

Committee for the Victims Support
fund. Disbursements from this fund
are made to local and INGOs to
support efforts aimed at alleviating
the suffering of those affected by
the North East conflict.
3.
Special Support to IDPs
NEMA coordinates this particular

program in partnership with the UN
Systems
4.
Federal Government
government strategy
The DPGG is one of the CAF thematic

groups (i.e. donor working group). This
group mainly consists of key players in
the adolescent girls space in Nigeria.
Membership of this group exposes
GEN to donor and government-led
gender-based initiatives. Through the
DPGG, GEN can scale up its existing
programs by partnering members of
the group. Membership of the DPGG
gives GEN increased access to gender
programs being implemented in
Nigeria by the various UN agencies.
GEN can partner with the fund to
develop and implement programs
aimed at protecting the rights of
women and children displaced by the
conflicts. The ENGINE program can be
scaled
up
to
deliver
life
skills/entrepreneurial
training
to
women and girls displaced by the
conflict.
GEN can establish a strategic
partnership with NEMA to develop
programs that address the special
needs of women and children in
designated IDP camps. GEN can act
in the capacity of provision of
technical assistance to program
development
In accordance with the need to
enhance women empowerment in
Nigeria, GEN can partner with KOICA
e-
The
FGNs
e-government
Masterplan lays out strategies for
integrating IT in improving public
81
5.
Country
Assistance
Framework (CAF)
6.
National Center for Women

Development & Gender
Equality (NCWDGE)
7.
The Federal Ministry of

Healths
National
Adolescent Health Working
Group
service delivery. KOICA is currently

funding the implementation of this
plan and other ICT capacity
building initiatives.
The CAF is the central donor
coordination framework for Nigeria.
It provides a platform for the
harmonization of donor programs
across sectors- in Nigeria. It was
launched in 2012
and
the
governing board consists of the
following: FMOF; NPC; the World
Bank; and AFDB. The CAF consists
of 9 working groups of which the
DPGG and DPGH are inclusive.
The NCWDGE is the coordinating
department
for
gender-based
programs being implemented by
the FMAWSD. This department is
actively involved in advocacy on
girls rights
The National Adolescent Health

Working Group plays an active role
in
the
meetings
of
the
Development Partners Group on
Health
(DPGH).
The
DPGH
represents overriding donor-led
interests in interactions with the
FMoH.
to develop ICT training for women.

Functional literacy can also be
integrated into such program.
Initially, the CAF covered only donors
but has subsequently been expanded
to include INGOs and implementing
agencies. One of the operating
modalities of the CAF is the monthly
Heads of Agencies meeting. GEN can
participate in the CAF by participating
in one or more of the thematic groups.
The DPGG presents a starting point for
GEN to become actively involved in
the CAF process.
The NCWDGE is the main channel for
GEN
to
develop
a
strategic
partnership with the FMAWSD as it
concerns adolescent girls issues and
broader gender concerns. Forming a
strategic partnership with the FMAWSD
is critical for GEN especially given that
the FMAWSD interfaces with the FEC to
make pronouncements of gender and
women empowerment issues.
If GEN is interested in developing
programs aimed at adolescent girls
sexual and reproductive health, then
the membership of the DPGH is vital.
At present, it is unclear as to whether
membership of this group is open to
NGOs as is the case with the DPGG. In
any case, GEN can initiate contact
with this group by contacting either
the chair or co-chair of the group. The
chair and co-chair of the group are:
DFATD and UNFPA.
5.3 Conclusion
The scope of adolescent girls programming explored in this study focused on five key
sectors namely: education; economic empowerment; health; girls voice; and safety. In
view of the mapping exercise conducted, majority of the programs impacting
adolescent girls in Nigeria are concentrated in the health sector. Health-related
programs targeting adolescent girls are centered on the following issues: access to SRH
services; advocacy on positive or healthy sexual behaviours among girls; access to SRH
counseling; maternal and newborn health (i.e. considering early marriage in the North);
and improved reproductive health services. Program-related activities in this area have
the potential to improve the sexual and reproductive health of girls. This is possible
82
because some of these programs seek to promote increased male engagement in

health facilities together with community engagement as a way of changing
perceptions about gender rights.
In the education sector, existing programs impacting adolescent girls are focused on
three main issues: provision of basic education; improving the quality of education in
primary and secondary schools; and teacher quality. What is missing from these
programs is a limited focus on integrating sexual education into the curriculum for
primary and secondary schools. This missing link has the potential to deliver much
needed change in the circumstance of Nigerian adolescent girls. For one, integrating
sexual education in the secondary school curriculum has the potential to change boys
perceptions of girls and also promote healthy sexual behavior among young people.
Culturally barriers especially in the North- present a challenge to implementing this
innovative measure. GEN can trial this approach in more liberal parts of the country
such as, the South South, South West, and South East. Linked to the education sector is
the economic empowerment of girls. The provision of entrepreneurial and life skills
training to secondary school girls is necessary to bridge the gender gap in Nigeria. This
type of training prepared girls to be become more productive members of society. The
British Council is currently developing a program in this regard.
The development of adolescent girls programs is in Nigeria is largely driven by
government policies and international frameworks such as the MDGs. The development
and coordination of government-led policies on gender domiciled to the FMAWSD
however, given the multi-dimensional nature of adolescent girls programming, the
FMAWSD often interfaces with other MDAs to implement sectoral gender-based
programs. Donor agencies usually provide technical assistance to the FMAWSD and
other MDAs in developing gender-based policies and programs. The CAF provides the
framework for harmonizing donor interventions and ensuring that donor programs are
aligned with the governments gender policy. The DPGG an instrument of the CAF- is
the overriding framework for donors gender-based programs.
Majority of programs impacting adolescent girls are focused on the North and
understandably so, especially as the region has the worst human development
indicators compared to the national average. To address this disparity, majority of
GENs programs should be focused on the North. Addressing the high gender disparity
in the region demands added emphasis on education and economic empowerment
especially as there is a prevalence of health programs targeting adolescent girls.
Functional literacy programs can be used to address the high rate of illiteracy among
rural women in the North. On the empowerment front, the provision of basic ICT training
for women is critical to ensure that they are not left behind in a rapidly globalized
83
environment. This training is particularly necessary for women in the informal sector as
they transition to the formal sector.
84

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September 2015

Landscaping Study on Donor Programs and Government Policies in

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

African Development Bank

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Sexual & Gender-based Violence

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

List of Figures & Tables

Distribution of International Development Investments in Nigeria 2008-2017

Profile of Development Assistance by Donors to Nigeria through the CAF

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

1.1 Justification for the Study

1.2 Research Questions

1.3 Research Objectives

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

2.1 Target Respondents/Data Sources

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

2.2 Limitations and Challenges

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Chapter 3: Key Findings

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

3.2 Key Actors in the Adolescent Girls Space in Nigeria

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Nigeria-Second National Youth Policy; 2009

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

international development assistance; with the African Development Bank (AfDB), in a

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Table 1: Profile of Development Assistance by Donors to Nigeria through CAF

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Figure 1: Distribution of International Development Investments in Nigeria 2008-2017

Categories of development investments across sectors in Nigeria 2012

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Table 2: Categories of Key Actors in the Adolescent Girls Field in Nigeria.

Federal Ministry of Women

Bill & Melinda Gates

3.2.1 MULTILATERAL DONORS

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

UNICEF Nigeria Country Program Components and Objectives (2014-2017)

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Table 3: UNICEF Nigeria Country Program Components and Objectives (2014-2017)

Quality basic education

Social policy, analysis, research and communication

Emergency and disaster risk reduction

One of UNICEFs successful interventions is in the education sector is the Girls

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Nigeria-UNESCO Country Programming Document 2012-2013

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Nigeria, Country Programme Document 2014-2017; UNDP Nigeria

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

Nigeria-UNFPA 7th Country Programme Document (2014-2017); July 2013

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping

ADOLESCENT GIRLS PROGRAMING IN NIGERIA-Donor and Government landscaping