The Nasarawa State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tiko in Nigeria to scale up adolescent health and empowerment initiatives across the state.
The partnership, formalised at the Nasarawa State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, brings together the Nasarawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (NAPHDA) and Tiko in a joint effort to tackle the Triple Threat of teen pregnancy, HIV infections, and sexual and gender-based violence with the goal of ensuring more girls stay in school and have greater access to future economic opportunities.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Usman Iskilu Saleh, Executive Secretary of NAPHDA, representing the state government, and Dr Fatima Mustapha Bunza, Country Director of Tiko in Nigeria, in the presence of His Excellency Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, Executive Governor of Nasarawa State. Senior officials from both institutions, including the Directors of Immunization, Health Education, Social Mobilization, and Impact, witnessed the ceremony.
Speaking during the signing, Tiko’s Country Director for Nigeria, Dr. Fatima M. Bunza, and Serah Joy Malaba, Co-CEO. hailed the agreement as a milestone in advancing government-led solutions for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH).
“This collaboration marks a step toward sustainable and inclusive health systems,” said Dr. Bunza. “By integrating adolescent health into state-led frameworks, we can ensure that young women not only access essential services but also gain the tools to lead empowered, productive lives.”
Echoing this, Tiko Co-CEO, Serah Malaba, emphasized the importance of political leadership in driving progress for young women across Africa.
“Addressing the Triple Threat is not only about protecting girls’ health. It’s about safeguarding their futures,” said Malaba. “When governments lead and organizations like Tiko provide catalytic support, we create pathways for girls to stay in school, pursue their goals, and thrive in safe, equitable communities.”
In the partnership, Tiko will provide technical expertise, based on key principles of its successful model that includes working with grassroots Community Based Organizations, peer mobilisers and community health workers to drive demand generation, training and quality assuring public and private facilities to deliver integrated and stigma free triple threat services at no cost to the girls and enabling real time tracking and accountability of results through the Tiko platform. These efforts will strengthen adolescent health programming in Nasarawa. Through this collaboration, Tiko’s role is to catalyse government ownership by providing the tools, data, and systems needed for the state to scale up effective, girl-centred solutions.
By prioritising adolescent health, Nasarawa State is demonstrating leadership in building inclusive systems that place girls and young women at the center of development.
With the signing of the MoU, implementation will now begin starting with a rapid mapping exercise to prioritize urban and peri-urban areas and identify community-based organizations, public, and private facilities that will support programme delivery.
This milestone builds on Tiko’s ongoing work in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and across Africa, showcasing how innovation, data, and partnership can transform the health and future of the continent’s youth.