The Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme in ten states has received an additional seven million dollars from the World Bank Group.Information Guide Nigeria
This was said in a statement issued by Mr. Olujimi Oyetomi, Director of Press & Public Relations for the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (FMoWA) during a visit by certain bank executives to the minister in Abuja.
Ms. Aisha Garba, Senior Education Officer with the World Bank, stated that the initial project budget for the AGILE Program was five million dollars, which has now been increased to twelve million dollars to cover more states in the federation.
“Disbursements of the seven million dollars and the initial fund of five million began on July 28, 2020 when the Project was approved to until July 31, 2025.
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” The AGILE funding disbursement has been to creating safe and assessable learning spaces; Fostering an enabling environment for girls; and Project management and system strengthening with substantially encouraging results from its application,” she said.
Garba, who is also the Task Team Leader for AGILE, stated that the additional project budget was contingent on the government’s request, commitment, and alignment with the World Bank strategy.
She said that it was also due to the continuance of obstacles in educating adolescent females, as well as the need to scale impact, broaden the target range, and boost the national percentage of girls in school.
She stated that the new funding is intended to target girls who are married, since the initial funding targets girls who are enrolled in school and employs several interventions to empower them and avoid their dropout.
Minister of Women Affairs Mrs. Pauline Tallen responded by affirming her commitment to girl-child education and stating that the money would assist in increasing the enrolment and graduation rates of females in the nation.
However, Tallen expressed concern that the finances for the AGILE project should be housed at the FMoWA rather than the Federal Ministry of Education.
She stated that her demand for a separate budget line for Girl-Child education in the FMoWA was motivated by the fact that the ministry was responsible for advocating and executing programmes for the enrolment and graduation of adolescent girl-children.
The minister reaffirmed her commitment to a second chance education for females whose education was interrupted by pregnancy, marriage, or other circumstances.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the AGILE project is a five-year Federal Government initiative supported by $500 million from the World Bank to increase secondary education prospects for teenage girls in the implementing states and to empower them to earn a living.JAMB Result
The government announced that the project would be carried out in the states of Borno, Ekiti, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, and Plateau.
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