Benue Govt Partners UNFPA On  Maternal Health, Youth Dev, Women’s Rights

From Attah Ede, Makurdi 

The Benue State Government has intensified stronger partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to accelerate progress on maternal health, youth development, and the protection of women and girls.

State  Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ejeh Ogwuche, made this known during a high-level multisectoral stakeholder engagement involving key government ministries,

development partners, civil society organisations, and stakeholders working across humanitarian and development sectors, held in Makurdi, Thursday.

Dr. Ogwuche described the engagement as a signal of hope, partnership, and shared responsibility, noting that Benue State sit at a critical intersection of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus.

 He highlighted that the state continues to address ongoing humanitarian challenges, including internally displaced populations, while simultaneously strengthening health systems and building resilient communities under the visionary leadership of Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.

The Commissioner outlined critical concerns which includes; persistent maternal deaths, limited access to reproductive health services and information for young people, widespread vulnerability to gender-based violence, and the growing health needs of internally displaced populations.

“These are not just statistics. These are lives, families, and futures at risk. Therefore the key priority areas for immediate collaboration, involved expanding family planning services in underserved communities, strengthening emergency obstetric and newborn care,

scaling up adolescent and youth-friendly health services, improving systems for gender-based violence prevention and response, delivering targeted interventions in IDP communities, and strengthening data systems for evidence-based planning.

“I call for deeper technical collaboration, inclusion of Benue State in UNFPA programme expansion, and the piloting of high-impact interventions, reaffirming the state’s commitment to leadership, co-investment, and sustainable integration of partner-supported programmes”, the commissioner said.

Responding, the Senior Programme Specialist for Reproductive Health and Humanitarian Response and the   UNFPA lead, Chris Macaulay,  reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Benue State in advancing the rights of women and girls, expanding access to reproductive health services, and investing in youth empowerment.

Macauley highlighted UNFPA’s ongoing interventions, including reproductive health service delivery, emergency obstetric care, gender-based violence prevention and response, mental health and psychosocial support, and the establishment of safe spaces for women and girls.

 He commended the state’s leadership, particularly the development of the Benue State Youth Development Plan using the Youth Development Index, describing it as a forward-looking, data-driven framework that positions the state as a leader in youth programming in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Notable stakeholders present at the meeting included the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Theresa Odachi Ikwue, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports; and Mr. Philip Nongu Lobi, alongside other key partners and sector representatives.

Stakeholders emphasized the need to expand youth-friendly services, strengthen comprehensive sexuality education, promote inclusion of persons with disabilities, and create economic opportunities for young people through initiatives such as agribusiness.

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to strengthen coordination, mobilise resources, and build resilient systems that will improve health outcomes, protect vulnerable populations, and ensure that no woman,

young person, or community is left behind—a reflection of Governor Rev.  Dr. Fr. Hyacinth Alia’s people -centered governance and commitment to sustainable development across Benue State.