The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has entered into a strategic partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to strengthen collaboration on women empowerment, youth development, gender equality, healthcare delivery, skills acquisition and community-based social interventions across Nigeria.
The partnership was reaffirmed on Friday when the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, led management team on a courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, FSI, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Welcoming the delegation, the Honourable Minister described the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development as a ministry for every Nigerian, stressing that its mandate extends beyond women and children to include strengthening families and protecting vulnerable members of society.
She noted that the visit marked the beginning of a stronger institutional partnership capable of delivering sustainable social development through coordinated government action.
“This is your Ministry. It is a Ministry for families, for women, for children, for the vulnerable and indeed for every Nigerian. We cannot achieve national prosperity in isolation. Strong institutions must collaborate, strengthen systems, document results and scale impact for the benefit of Nigerians,” the Minister said.
The Minister commended the NYSC for over five decades of nation-building through youth mobilisation and community service, describing the Scheme as one of Nigeria’s most enduring institutions.
She welcomed the latest statistics presented by the NYSC showing that Nigerian tertiary institutions have consistently produced more female than male graduates since 2021, describing the development as a major milestone in the country’s gender equality efforts.
According to her, the new evidence will strengthen the implementation of the Ministry’s recently launched Roadmap to Equality 2030 and guide future policy interventions.
“These statistics are significant because they reflect the progress Nigeria has made in educating the girl-child. They also provide valuable evidence that will enrich our policy framework and help us plan more effectively for the future,” she stated.
The Honourable Minister disclosed that the Ministry is already reviewing national workplace policies to make them more family-friendly through the establishment of workplace crèches, review of the National Crèche Policy, flexible work arrangements and remote working options to improve productivity while supporting working parents.
She further highlighted ongoing initiatives aimed at promoting economic empowerment through mobile enterprise models, including mobile tailoring, mobile beauty services, mobile healthcare, mobile mechanics and other home-based businesses that create sustainable livelihoods, particularly for women and young people.
The Minister also proposed deeper collaboration with the NYSC in organising nationwide commemorations of International Women’s Day, International Day of the Girl Child and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, stressing that joint implementation would maximise resources and national impact.
She called for expanded collaboration in healthcare delivery by deploying corps medical personnel and mobile clinics to schools, markets, workplaces and rural communities while also advocating structured entrepreneurship and career development programmes for corps members at orientation camps nationwide.
Hajiya Imaan further identified the NYSC as a strategic partner in driving nationwide advocacy on gender-based violence, digital literacy, child protection, family values and other social development priorities under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, commended the Honourable Minister for her visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to advancing the rights of women, children and families across Nigeria.
He observed that the increasing number of female graduates entering the labour force requires deliberate workplace reforms, including the establishment of crèches within Ministries, Departments and Agencies to support working mothers.
“The Ministry has made remarkable progress in promoting girl-child education and gender mainstreaming. The positive outcomes we are witnessing today are evidence that these investments are yielding measurable national results,” Brigadier General Nafiu said.
He reaffirmed the Scheme’s readiness to strengthen collaboration with the Ministry through community development services, healthcare outreach, entrepreneurship development, skills acquisition programmes, advocacy campaigns and rural development initiatives.
He also pledged to provide updated national graduate statistics to support evidence-based policy formulation by the Ministry.
“With our nationwide presence and community development structure, NYSC is well positioned to support the Ministry in delivering life-changing interventions to women, children, families and vulnerable communities across the country,” he added.
At the end of the meeting, both institutions agreed to immediately designate focal officers to develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the partnership, with priority attention on healthcare outreach, youth empowerment, community advocacy, entrepreneurship development and social protection programmes nationwide.
The collaboration underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening inter-agency partnerships in advancing inclusive development, promoting gender equality, empowering young Nigerians and improving the wellbeing of families in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ahmed Lawan Danbazau Mnipr
Head, Press and Public Relations Dept.
(FMWASD)
