Invest in girls—First Lady

First Lady Gertrude Mutharika on Monday joined fellow African first ladies at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York to support the call to invest in adolescent girls in Africa.

During the 15th African Union (AU) Summit held in Kampala in 2010, African first ladies made a commitment to intensify maternal health campaigns throughout Africa to increase knowledge on sexual and reproductive health services among women and adolescent girls.

Speaking in an interview with The Nation just after the meeting, Mutharika said she believes the 69th session of the UN General Assembly will make a commitment to safeguard the future of women and adolescent girls in Africa, including Malawi.

“I would like to call upon all member States, partners and the UN agencies to ensure that there are effective ways for assisting adolescent girls as they are discussing the post-2015 development agenda,” she said.

In a separate interview, Soon-Taek Ban, UN Secretary General’s wife, said she will ensure that the elimination of maternal and newborn deaths and the fight against forced marriages among adolescent girls is successful.

However, a communiqué signed by the African first ladies has emphasised the need for development partners to increase investment in adolescent girls’ health in Africa.

According to the first ladies, this is in line with the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (Carmma) and the Maputo Plan of Action on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), among others.