Nigeria’s strength lies in its vibrant youth, representing an estimated 74.9 million individuals aged 18-35 as reported by populationpyramid. As this demographic continues to grow, strategic investments in youth development become paramount. Empowering these young voices is key to harnessing their diverse perspectives, building confidence, and fostering leadership skills. The WeNaija Campaign 2023 is a rallying call for youth to actively engage in advocacy, providing them with platforms, skills, and opportunities to amplify their voices.
Engaging youth in advocacy holds the potential to reshape policies and programs that directly impact their lives and the future of Nigeria. Yet, the absence of youth in advocacy remains a significant challenge. Despite their substantial presence in the population, they are often sidelined in decision-making processes, leading to policies that do not align with their priorities.
Leveraging the active presence of Nigerian youth on social media, WeNaija Campaign 2023 seeks to empower youth to lead the charge in raising awareness about critical health issues, starting with the national rollout of HPV vaccines. Our strategy is to engage the youth in a social media video content creation contest to shine a spotlight on the nation’s healthcare needs and advocate for a stronger healthcare system.
Our choice of social media as the primary communication platform stems from youth’s active engagement on these platforms, which was at 31.60 million social media users in Nigeria in January 2023, as reported by Datareportal. Beyond communication, social media facilitates access to information and resources, serves as a medium for creative expression, and fosters civic engagement.
Â
Objectives
- Drive Youth Participation in Advocacy: We aim to ignite a passion for advocacy among youth, encouraging them to shape policies that reflect their needs.
- Empower youth with Communication Skills for Advocacy.
The 2023 NSSF WeNaija Campaign with the support of Global Citizen invites Nigerian youth to participate in a video content creation contest on social media, dedicated to raising awareness and promoting the uptake of HPV vaccines.
Why HPV Vaccines Matter
HPV, a prevalent sexually transmitted infection worldwide, poses a significant public health concern in Nigeria, with an estimated 24.5% of women aged 15 to 49 affected. This perilous virus places over 60.9 million girls and women at risk of cervical cancer, with rural areas bearing the brunt. Factors
contributing to its prevalence include early sexual initiation, limited healthcare access, cultural beliefs, and more.
Preventing HPV through Vaccination
National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) is set to introduce HPV vaccines into the national immunization program in 2023, targeting school-age girls aged 9-14. This will help prevent cervical cancer.
- Call for Participation: The contest begins with an announcement on October 11th via NSSF’s social media platforms, mailing lists, influencers, and other partner organizations.
- Contest: To participate, individuals would produce a video not more than 2 minutes that promotes HPV vaccines using key phrases like HPV vaccines, Cancer, Girls (aged 9 to 14), NSSF, and Health Centres.
- Judging Process: Expert video content creators will evaluate entries on a scale of 1-10, and select the top 5 videos.
- Capacity Building: A 2-day virtual capacity-building session will be held on 30th of November and 1st of December for all participants where they acquire essential skills for impactful content creation and advocacy.
- Internship Opportunities: This will be given to the top 5 winners of the contest.
