A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), says progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires keeping adolescents healthy as they represent critical window of opportunity in the country.

Mr Muhammad Usman, Chairman, National Advocates for Health, who spoke on behalf of the CSOs said this in Abuja on Sunday at the two-day strategic retreat organised by the African Health Budget Network (AHBN).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the retreat reviewed the country’s Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition- (RMNCAH+N), Recovery Plan Scorecard & Validate the Family Planning (FP), 2030 Accountability Motion Tracker Template.

Usman said that investment in adolescents delivered “multiple dividends,” improved health and enhancement throughout the life course and contributing to the health of future generations.

“Healthy adolescents also fuel economic growth by contributing to increased productivity, reduced health expenditure, and the interruption of inter-generational transmission of poor health, poverty and discrimination.

“For every Naira invested in adolescent health, there is an estimated ten-fold health, social and economic return,” he said.

The Coordinator, AHBN, Dr Aminu Magashi urged that National health strategies and investment plans for UHC must include adolescents.

This, according to him, is with emphasis on the most vulnerable and marginalized adolescents and their families to ensure equity.

Magashi said that investment in vertical or single-issue programs was rarely efficient.

“Programs should be designed to address multiple risk factors and vulnerabilities and all adolescents should be covered by mandatory, prepaid and pooled funding with user fees reduced or eliminated,” he said.

Magashi said that adolescents should be empowered to initiate action and influence decisions that affected their health and development through mechanisms that allowed for meaningful participation.

“This should be bolstered with disaggregated and regular data to know the magnitude of disease burden, health needs and barriers to services for this age group,” he said.

The coordinator said that the RMNCAEH+N recovery plan during the COVID-19 accountability scorecard was developed through rigorous analysis of the 2022 Federal Government-approved budget,

‘’Others included review and validation meetings and independent monitoring of the activities of the RMNCAEH+N National Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Coordination Platform.

‘’The scorecard which had three categories was to serve as an evidence tool to be used by all stakeholders including CSOs, media, advocates, young people and development partners.

‘’This was to strategically influence actions that would promote performance, transparency and accountability in the implementation of country’s RMNCAEH+N continuity response plan (2020-2022) during COVID-19,’’ he said.

Magashi said that the scorecard reported three categories including Governance and Leadership, Budgetary Allocation and Disbursement, Accountability and Transparency.

He added: “The stakeholders further urged the RMNCAEH+N platform to formalize the participation of CSOs and youth constituencies with clear roles and modalities of engagement.

“They also recommended that CSOs and youth representatives on the RMNCAEH+N platform strengthen meaningful engagement with their constituencies through formal channels for inputs and feedback.

“Other recommendations put forward by the stakeholders include the provision of a dedicated page to be created on the website of the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies.

”Information about budget releases and expenditure could be posted and sighted there

“The CSOs, youth and media to engage the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Finance and donor community to galvanise collaborative efforts.”

Magashi said that this is to strengthen the RMNCAEH+N platform and support implementation of the recovery plan.

“The NGOs, advocates and other critical stakeholders must find a way of talking to the government and the Ministry of Finance in particular and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) for the release of approved budgets,” he said.

Magashi said that investments in family planning were aimed at saving the lives of women and children, which would lead to prosperity for all.

“Family planning, therefore, is critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are aimed at ending poverty and improving wellness and health.

”It is also key to end hunger as well as promoting gender equality.

“That’s why a country as populous as Nigeria needs to promptly release the budget for the procurement of FP commodities,” he said.

Also speaking on behalf of health journalists, the President of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ), Mr. Hassan Zaggi, said that in most countries, health systems and services were mainly designed for either young children or adults.

“Given their specific health and development needs, adolescents require responsive anticipatory models of service delivery.

“Due to biological and gender-based differences that result in varied health risks and disease incidence, these health services must always apply an appropriate gender lens.

‘’Government need to reach adolescents with high quality, well-coordinated and well-integrated programs in their everyday context,” Zaggi said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Olympus Ade-banjo, Chairman, Africa Health Budget Network Meaningful Adolescent and Youth Engagement Working Group, said that inadequate allocation of resources was a major challenge for implementing the good plan Nigeria had for family planning.

Ade-banjo said that expanding the narrative of family planning from being a core health issue to a development issue would provide the opportunity to prioritize family planning as human capital and socio-economic development issue and for the achievement of the SDGs.

He said that the nation as a pre-transition country had a high fertility rate of 5.2 per women and a very youthful population bulge.

NAN recalls that Nigeria formally launched the 2030 FP commitment in March 2022.

The FP 2030 Commitment which has 8 focus areas states that by the end of 2030, Nigeria envisions a country where everyone including adolescents, young people and populations affected by crisis and other vulnerable populations can make informed choices.

Recall that they should have equitable and affordable access to quality family planning and participate equally in society’s development.