General
Africa May Stop Child Marriage 100 Years’ Time—UNICEF
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A new report by the UNICEF has warned that unless progress is seriously accelerated, it will take over 100 years to end child marriage in West and Central Africa, with far-reaching, life-altering consequences for millions of child brides and crippling impact on the region’s prosperity.
In the report released on Monday titled ‘Achieving a future without child marriage: Focus on West and Central Africa’, it was said that as a result of rapid population growth and high prevalence, even a doubling of the rate of the current decline would not be sufficient to reduce the number of girls marrying each year.
“We need to shake ourselves up,” said Fatoumata Ndiaye, UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director. “We cannot continue to let so many of our girls miss out on their health, education, and childhood. At current rates, our report shows, it will take over 100 years to eliminate child marriage in the region – how is this acceptable?”
The new projections, released during a high-level meeting on ending child marriage in Dakar this week, aim to bring the spotlight on the region of the world where girls face the highest risk of marrying in childhood.
While the prevalence of child marriage in West and Central Africa has declined over the past two decades, progress has been uneven, and still four in 10 women are married before the age of 18 and, of these, one in three before the age of 15.
West and Central Africa includes six of the 10 countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage in the world: Niger; Central African Republic; Chad; Mali; Burkina Faso and Guinea.
The report also highlights that progress is possible – even in high prevalence countries – when the right mix of strategies is in place, such as empowering girls, mobilizing families and communities to change attitudes and behaviours, providing adequate services to girls at risk and to married girls and putting in place consistent laws and policies to protect and promote the rights of girls.
Five countries in the region – Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Togo, Ghana and Rwanda – stand out with declines in the practice ranging from 40 to 60 per cent over the past 25 years.
Getting girls to school and keeping them there for as long as possible is one of the best strategies to delay child marriage because educated girls are able to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to make decisions about their choices in life. The longer a girl stays in school, the less likely she is to be married before the age of 18 and have children during her teenage years.
“Getting girls to schools should be our top priority,” said Ndiaye. “Not only because it equips girls for life, but it also helps to lift their families, their communities, their countries out of poverty.”
Child marriage, the marriage or union of children under the age of 18, is a harmful practice which violates the rights of children. Child brides are less likely to finish school, and are more likely to be victims of violence and become infected with HIV. When children get married, their prospects for a healthy, successful life decline drastically, often setting off an intergenerational cycle of poverty. Also, child brides often lack the skills needed for employment.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged its commitment to provide the regulatory leadership, technical coordination, and stakeholder engagement required to successfully develop and implement a robust National Action Plan on maritime decarbonization in Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Dayo Mobereola, made this known during the National Stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, further describing the workshop as a critical step in actualising the Federal Government’s blue economy and climate objectives.
Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the NIMASA DG underscored the significance of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, a technical cooperation initiative /designed to support developing countries in implementing the IMO GHG Strategy.
According to him, the National Action Plan being developed will reflect national realities, leverage existing capacities, address identified gaps, and align with broader economic and environmental priorities of the federal government.
Mr Mobereola stressed that “this transition is not merely about compliance with international obligations, it is about safeguarding our marine environment, protecting public health, strengthening the blue economy, and ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive and future-ready”, the DG said.
Also speaking at the event was the Technical Manager of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, Ms Astrid Dispert, who highlighted that the overarching objective of the initiative is to advance a coherent and globally aligned regulatory framework to accelerate maritime decarbonization.
She also emphasised that NIMASA plays a pivotal role in driving the project at the national level.
The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project provides technical expertise and institutional support to assist countries in developing and implementing National Action Plans that promote sustainable shipping practices, encourage investment in clean technologies, and strengthen capacity for long-term emissions reduction.
Through this collaboration, the federal government is advancing deliberate steps towards maritime decarbonization, reinforcing its commitment to global climate goals and ensuring a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for the sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with its digital submission process effective March 1.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Director-General of the Bureau, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, noting that the move was part of the bureau’s commitment to digital transformation and paperless governance.
It explained that the transition followed an earlier circular of Aug. 4, 2025, which introduced electronic submission procedures.
According to the bureau, it has successfully moved from physical filings to a dedicated e-mail service for document submissions and is now advancing to a more robust and integrated system.
The circular announced the inauguration of the BPP Digital Submission Portal, a web-based platform designed to enable MDAs submit procurement-related documents directly to the Bureau.
It stated that the automated platform would streamline the submission process, enhance transparency and ensure accelerated tracking of procurement-related documents and petitions.
“With effect from March 1, all MDAs will be required to use the portal to submit requests for ‘No Objection’ Certificates, approvals for ‘No Objection’ for special procurements, clarifications and status updates on submissions,” the bureau said.
It added that the portal would be hosted on the Bureau’s official website and would become fully operational from the effective date.
The bureau warned that physical submissions or manual hand-deliveries would no longer be prioritised and would eventually be rejected following the full transition to the digital platform.
It urged accounting officers to brief their procurement departments and ICT units on the development to ensure seamless processing of procurement activities from March 1.
It further advised MDAs to contact the Bureau via its official email for information on the onboarding process and integration into the portal.
The bureau emphasised that full compliance by all MDAs was required to ensure a smooth transition and avoid delays in the implementation of the 2026 fiscal year procurement processes.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, from office.
The Senate Committee on Finance, while passing a resolution in Abuja on Thursday, accused Mr Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), of failing to honour the Senate’s invitations to account for the finances of his agency.
“He refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee.
“We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.
“Each time we invite him, he gives us excuses,” the Chairman of the committee, Mr Sani Musa, said as the committee passed the resolution.
CAC was part of a group of agencies that the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended zero allocation for the year 2026, for allegedly failing to account for public funds appropriated to them.
The committee, at an investigative hearing held two weeks ago, accused CAC and some other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of shunning invitations to respond to audit queries contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s annual reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The PAC chairman, Mr Bamidele Salam, stated that the National Assembly should not continue to appropriate public funds to institutions that disregard accountability mechanisms, saying this will create fiscal discipline and strengthen transparency across federal institutions and conform with extant financial regulations and the oversight powers of the parliament.
“Public funds are held in trust for the Nigerian people. Any agency that fails to account for previous allocations, refuses to submit audited accounts, or ignores legislative summons cannot, in good conscience, expect fresh budgetary provisions. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” he said.
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