Kwara trains health workers on youth-friendly services

The Kwara State Government has emphasised the need for a more robust adolescent and youth-friendly healthcare service delivery as a vital strategy to enhance health-seeking behaviour among adolescent girls in the state.

The State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, reaffirmed this at a three-day training for adolescent desk officers in Primary Health Care (PHC) centres in Ilorin, the state capital.

The participating PHCs were those linked to the 100 schools implementing the Life Skills programme of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project in the state.

The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Rebecca Bake Olanrewaju, stressed that, “adolescence marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. During this critical stage, adolescent girls need all the support they can get from counsellors, health workers and caregivers to help guide their choices and prevent avoidable mistakes.”

Earlier in his remarks, the State Project Coordinator, Kwara AGILE, Mr Adeshina Salami, commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his support for education, healthcare, and development of adolescent girls, saying that his commitment facilitated the implementation of the AGILE project’s mandate.

Delivering his remarks, the Life Skills Lead from the National Project Coordinating Unit (NPCU), Abuja, Mr Abraham Sunday, emphasised the multi-sectoral components of the AGILE project, as it cuts across education, health, communication, digital development, social protection, environment, among others.

“We believe it is important for our healthcare providers to recognize that adolescents deserve dedicated, high-quality care within our health facilities. While provisions often exist for children and adults, this critical age group is frequently overlooked.

“Adolescents need to feel seen, heard, and understood, not judged. They want to engage with providers as trusted allies, not as authority figures. This is why we felt it necessary to organize this vital training,” he added.

The Guidance and Counselling (G&C) Lead from the NPCU, Madam Grace Jackson, emphasised the important role of healthcare workers in health promotion and awareness. She stressed the importance of regular training and retraining to keep them equipped with up-to-date knowledge and skills.

Speaking at the event, the Life Skills Officer for Kwara AGILE, Mrs Aminat Yusuf, outlined the objectives of the Life Skills sub-component of the project, adding that it aims to improve the mental capacity of adolescent girls, equipping them with essential skills such as negotiation, communication, goal-setting, climate awareness, digital literacy, among others.

Facilitators at the training were: a Public Health Physician from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Dr Bilqis Alatishe-Muhammed; an Adolescent Health Desk Officer from the Ministry of Health, Dr Oladimeji Buhari; and the NPCU Leads.

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The training drew participants from Primary Health Care centres across the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state who are nurses and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs).

Directors from the Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development present were: Representative of the Director of Education Planning and Research Development (EPRD), Mrs Bukola Olawoye; Director, School Services, Mrs Eunice Abidoye; Director, Human Capital Development, Mrs Olawumi Oludare; Director, Quality Assurance Bureau, Alhaja Khadijat Lambe; and the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr Ola Hassan.

Participants who spoke to newsmen expressed gratitude to the government for organising the training and expressed optimism that it would inspire a fresh approach to engaging with adolescents seeking health services in their respective facilities.

Highlights of the closing ceremony, which held on Wednesday, July 30, were the presentation of certificates to the participants and the distribution of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials to support the promotion of adolescent and youth-friendly services at their PHCs.

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