At launch of AGAB cohort: Minister Abena Ondoa urges girls to be exemplary leaders.

UNICEF Representative in Cameroon, Nadine Perrault, lived the event of the initiative which the UN agency is supporting to promote the participation of girls in decision-making and leadership. 

Other government officials, representatives of the UN system, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional and religious authorities, and adolescent girls selected to serve on the new advisory board, also attended the event. 

Minister Abena Ondoa used the event to underscore the importance of recognising girls not merely as beneficiaries of public policies but as partners in national development.

She said the launch of the second AGAB cohort symbolises a collective determination to provide adolescent girls with platforms where their voices are heard and their ideas contribute to shaping policies that affect their lives.

“No society can claim to build a sustainable future without giving its adolescent girls the means to participate fully in the decisions that shape their present and determine their future,” she declared.

The minister equally used the occasion to praise UNICEF for its unwavering support to Cameroon in promoting and protecting children’s rights, particularly through programmes that strengthen girls’ leadership, civic participation and empowerment.

She described partnership between the government and UNICEF as a shared commitment to justice, inclusion and equal opportunities. 

The minister cited unequal access to quality education, gender-based violence, early marriages, teenage pregnancies, limited access to healthcare, digital technology and vocational training as barriers preventing many girls from reaching their full potential.

He said the collective responsibility of all and sundry is to create the conditions that allow every adolescent girl to develop her full potential, express her ideas freely, participate in decisions that concern her and become an agent of change within her community.

“When a girl gains the confidence to make her voice heard, an entire family becomes stronger, an entire community progresses and, ultimately, an entire nation is transformed,” she mentioned.

She urged newly appointed members of the advisory board to effectively project the voices of thousands of girls from diverse backgrounds by serving with humility and integrity while championing the concerns of their peers.

“Your mission is not only to identify challenges. It is above all to propose solutions, inspire dialogue, stimulate change and demonstrate that young people are a force for innovation,” she said, while reminding them to embrace leadership based on service and responsibility rather than status or privilege. 

Abena Ondoa the ministry’s commitment to ensure that recommendations from the advisory board are considered in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of public policies targeting adolescent girls.

She also called on all actors to create an environment where every girl can grow safely, realise her potential and contribute meaningfully to national development.

Adolescent Girls Advisory Board

The Adolescent Girls Advisory Board, it should be said, was established by UNICEF and comprises 12 adolescent girls who advocate for the rights of their peers in education, health, leadership and empowerment. 

The initiative enables girls to participate in designing, monitoring and evaluating programmes affecting adolescents while encouraging them to become agents of positive social change.

UNICEF has established AGAB groups in Yaounde, Bertoua, Buea, Maroua and Bikok, bringing together a total of 60 adolescent advisers.

The groups address key issues including child marriage, access to education, sexual and reproductive health, climate change, teenage pregnancy, violence prevention and youth participation.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3876 of Wednesday August 12, 2026