By Bashir Bello

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched a youth-driven digital platform known as the “Yes! Girl” Podcast, designed to provide adolescent girls in Nigeria with a space to share their perspectives and experiences.

The initiative, created for girls aged 9 to 19, aims to provide a platform where participants can discuss issues affecting their lives, including education, mental health, menstrual health, HPV prevention, gender equality, leadership and climate action.

Speaking during the launch event, which also commemorated the 2026 International Women’s Day, UNICEF’s Adolescent Development Specialist, Ngozi Izuora-Songu, said the initiative seeks to encourage greater engagement with girls on matters affecting them.

According to her, the platform is intended to shift the focus from speaking about girls to creating opportunities for them to express their views directly.

She noted that the podcast enables adolescent girls to share their experiences and perspectives on various social and developmental issues, while also highlighting the potential of digital storytelling to broaden access to dialogue platforms.

Izuora-Songu explained that the initiative forms part of broader efforts to ensure that the views and experiences of girls are reflected in policies, programmes and development initiatives that affect their futures.

She added that UNICEF supports programmes aimed at improving girls’ access to education, menstrual health services, HPV prevention, mental health support and safe learning environments.

According to her, the organisation also works with youth and adolescent networks to encourage the participation of girls in decision-making spaces, including community engagements and advocacy platforms.

She described the event as both a celebration and an opportunity to highlight the importance of expanding opportunities and support systems for girls.

Izuora-Songu also acknowledged efforts by the Nigerian government toward advancing the rights of women and girls, while noting that further progress could be made in areas such as expanding access to girls’ education, strengthening youth-friendly health services and encouraging greater participation of young people in policy discussions.

She emphasised that platforms like the “Yes! Girl” Podcast and UNICEF’s digital engagement tool, U-Report, help create channels through which girls can share their views and contribute ideas on issues affecting them.

The event featured a watch session that brought together adolescent girls, government representatives, civil society organisations and members of the media to listen to discussions from the podcast and exchange ideas on ways to support the wellbeing, rights and leadership of girls in Nigeria.