GHAi Presents Policy Brief to Ondo Government, Seeks Stronger Youth Inclusion in Health Governance.

The Get Healthy Africa Initiative (GHAi) has officially presented a Policy and Advocacy Brief to the Ondo State Government, urging the institutionalization of youth participation in health governance and policymaking following the successful implementation of the Next-Gen Health Governance Project, supported by the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF).

The presentation formed part of a series of high-level advocacy engagements led by the Executive Director of GHAi, Faysol Oluwakemi, alongside members of the project team, with key stakeholders in the state’s health and youth sectors.

Developed from community evidence generated by the Next-Gen Health Governance Fellows, the policy brief highlights critical findings from grassroots engagements across Ondo State and offers practical, evidence-based recommendations to strengthen youth representation in health governance, policy formulation and accountability processes.

Receiving the GHAi delegation at the Ondo State Ministry of Health, the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, commended the organisation for its innovative approach to promoting youth participation in governance. He also acknowledged the support of the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund for investing in initiatives that empower young people to contribute meaningfully to public policy and sustainable development.

Dr. Ajaka assured the delegation that the policy brief would be carefully reviewed and that its recommendations would be presented to the Ondo State Government for consideration, including opportunities to scale up the Next-Gen Health Governance Project across the state.
Earlier, the GHAi team also presented the policy brief to the Ondo State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, where the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Lanre Abiodun, received the delegation and assured the organisation that the recommendations contained in the document would be reviewed as part of the ministry’s commitment to advancing youth development and participation.

The advocacy engagements underscore GHAi’s commitment to translating research and community evidence into actionable policies while strengthening collaboration between government institutions and young people to build a more inclusive and responsive health system.

The Next-Gen Health Governance Project was implemented by the Get Healthy Africa Initiative with support from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund to promote meaningful youth engagement in health governance and policy processes across Ondo State.