In many parts of Nigeria, the voices of adolescent girls are still barely a whisper.
Development Diaries reports that despite making up a significant portion of the country’s population, millions of girls remain excluded from the conversations and decisions that shape their lives.
Girls are faced with issues like child marriage and gender-based violence, unequal access to quality education, and harmful cultural practices, with their futures too often dictated without their input.
According to the British Council’s ‘Next Generation Nigeria’ Report, 2020, less than 20 percent of Nigerian youth (ages 15–24) feel they have the opportunity to participate in civic life or express their views in community decisions. For girls, this number is significantly lower.
Women and girls are under-represented in youth councils, school-based decision-making bodies, and national policy dialogues. Data from UN Women Nigeria in 2023 reveals that only five percent of public leadership roles in Nigeria are held by women under the age of 35.
In the area of gender-based violence, one in three Nigerian girls aged 15–24 has experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence. This is according to the National Population Commission (NPC) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2022 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey.
Fortunately, a new initiative has been developed to reshape this narrative.
The recent partnership between the Grace Agbonlahor Foundation (GAF) and ImpactHouse Centre for Development Communication on the Voices at the Table (VATT) project, Nigeria’s first girl-led citizens’ assembly, is giving girls a seat, and more importantly, a voice, in the civic space.
VATT is a platform that allows girls to reflect on the issues they face, share their experiences, and propose solutions through civic dialogue and storytelling.
The VATT platform empowers adolescent girls and young women to speak up, share their lived experiences, and influence decisions through storytelling, civic dialogue, and participatory reporting.
‘For too long, decisions about girls have been made without hearing directly from them’, said founder of the Grace Agbonlahor Foundation, Charles Omofomwan.
‘Voices at the Table is our way of changing that, creating a safe, structured space where girls don’t just speak, but are genuinely listened to, and where their lived experiences shape real change’.
Each quarter, selected participants gather at GAF’s civic hub in Benin City, Edo State, while others submit reflections digitally or through physical response forms distributed in rural and underserved communities.
These insights are compiled into a quarterly Voices at the Table Report presented to policymakers, media, and development actors.
Also, themes are introduced with simple ‘topic packs’ designed to build civic literacy and encourage critical thinking.
What sets VATT apart is its empathy-driven, inclusive model. By enabling both online and offline participation, it ensures that even girls from low-connectivity areas are not left behind.
‘At ImpactHouse, we believe that quality civic conversations, especially among everyday citizens, can drive social change. This partnership with GAF strengthens our commitment to enabling inclusive dialogue and gender-responsive governance’, Programmes Manager at ImpactHouse, Chinomso Momoh, said.
‘For us, VATT is more than a project. It is a movement to democratise civic participation, deepen the quality of civic conversations, and centre the voices of those most excluded’.
Unfortunately, such efforts remain rare in a country where gender inequality is deeply entrenched.
Nigeria ranks 130th out of 146 countries in the latest Global Gender Gap Index, with particularly wide gaps in political empowerment and educational attainment.
The notion of girls as civic actors is yet to take hold in many communities, and institutional responses to the gender crisis remain underwhelming.
The call now is for action, not just applause.
Development Diaries calls on federal and state ministries of education, women affairs, and youth development to integrate platforms like VATT into their policies and programming.
If Nigeria is serious about inclusive governance and sustainable development, it must create space, not just in rhetoric, but in practice, for girls to be seen, heard, and respected as civic actors.
