Nigeria, Turkiye Partner to Strengthen Family Cohesion, Social Welfare

Nigeria and Turkiye have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen family cohesion and advance social welfare in both countries.

Head, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (FMoWASD), Ahmed Danbazau, made this known in a statement, on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, the MoU was signed on Tuesday in Ankara, Turkiye, by Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister, FMoWASD, and Mrs Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services.

He said the agreement was sealed during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Turkiye, in which the minister was part of the Nigerian delegation.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim described the MoU as the culmination of a year-long engagement between both countries, noting that it aligned with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

She emphasised the ministry’s commitment to working “faster and smarter” to achieve its target of positively impacting 50 million Nigerians by 2030.

According to the minister, key provisions of the MoU include the strengthening of families through the facilitation of Nigeria’s first National Action Plan on Families by the end of the year, with the care economy identified as a critical pillar to support family structures.

She said the agreement would focus on empowering women by promoting entrepreneurship, strengthening their socio-economic status and establishing mentoring mechanisms to foster solidarity.

The minister added that the MoU prioritised the protection of children through the development of holistic protection systems and early intervention mechanisms to prevent neglect and abuse.

She noted that the agreement would ensure the inclusion of vulnerable groups by promoting full social participation for persons with disabilities and encouraging active ageing for senior citizens.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim described the MoU as a sacred pact to prioritise the family as the engine of national prosperity.

She assured Nigerians that the two countries would immediately begin exchanging experts and best practices to ensure the social protection initiatives delivered tangible results for households. (NAN)