The Get Healthy Africa Initiative (GHAi), on Friday, presented a Policy and Advocacy Brief to the Ondo State Government, calling for the institutionalisation of youth participation in health governance and policymaking following the successful implementation of the Next-Gen Health Governance Project.
The project, supported by the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF), culminated in a series of high-level advocacy visits led by GHAi Executive Director, Faysol Oluwakemi, and members of the project team to key stakeholders in the state’s health and youth sectors.
The policy brief, developed from evidence gathered by the Next-Gen Health Governance Fellows during community engagements across Ondo State, highlights critical issues affecting youth participation in health governance.
It also provides practical recommendations aimed at strengthening youth representation in health policy formulation, implementation and accountability processes.
Receiving the delegation at the Ministry of Health, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, commended GHAi for promoting youth involvement in governance through innovative approaches.
He also lauded the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund for supporting initiatives that empower young people to contribute meaningfully to public policy and sustainable development.
Dr. Ajaka assured the delegation that the policy document would be thoroughly reviewed and its recommendations presented to the Ondo State Government for consideration. He added that the government would also explore opportunities to scale up the Next-Gen Health Governance Project across the state.
The advocacy team also visited the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, where the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Lanre Abiodun, received the delegation on behalf of the ministry.
Abiodun assured the organisation that the ministry would carefully review the recommendations contained in the policy brief as part of its commitment to promoting youth development and increasing young people’s participation in governance.
Speaking during the engagements, the GHAi team said the advocacy was aimed at translating research findings and community-generated evidence into actionable government policies while strengthening collaboration between public institutions and young people.
According to the organisation, the Next-Gen Health Governance Project was implemented to promote meaningful youth engagement in health governance and policy processes across Ondo State, with support from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund.
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